Process industry

This refers to an industry in which various equipment with the necessary processing capacity is placed before and after the large central equipment installed at the center of the production process according to the production capacity of the equipment, and the number of workers and transportation costs are reduced and productivity is improved (rationalization) through the automation of each equipment (automatic control) and the automation of the transfer between the equipment (conveyor belts, pipelines). It is often found in material-based industries such as steel, aluminum smelting, petroleum refining, petroleum and coal chemicals, ceramics (cement, glass), synthetic fibers, paper and pulp, sugar refining, oil refining, and flour milling, which have high labor equipment ratios and capital intensity and require huge amounts of capital. In general, making equipment larger, faster, and increasing the operating rate improves energy efficiency and product yield, creates cost reduction effects (scale economies), and improves management efficiency.

In Japan, during the period of high economic growth from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, large companies made huge capital investments in building new factories and expanding their operations, leading to the development of process industries with some of the world's largest facilities. In particular, in the steel and petrochemical industries, uniformity in technology, production and location was sought in the manufacturing processes of various products in order to facilitate continuous steelmaking and comprehensive use of raw materials, and integrated steel plants and petrochemical complexes were formed as places to realize economies of scale.

The size of equipment in the process industry is increased according to the optimum scale and maximum demand according to the level of production technology. Therefore, while management efficiency increases significantly during times of economic prosperity, in times of economic downturn, the supply-demand gap leads to a drop in operating rates, and fixed costs increase due to reduced production, ultimately resulting in problems of excess capacity throughout the industry. Following the oil crisis of 1973, and the transition to a low-growth economy, many of Japan's process industries, led by aluminum and paper and pulp, fell into structural recession due to rising energy costs and declining demand. Of these, the energy-intensive paper and pulp industry has maintained its second-largest position in the world after the United States thanks to rationalization and energy-saving measures, an increase in the proportion of self-generated electricity (74.5% as of 1996), and an increase in demand for highly processed paper due to the advancement of information technology. Aluminum smelting, often referred to as "canned electricity," has been wiped out except for one facility due to the disparity in electricity costs between Japan and overseas and the strong yen, and Japan, the second largest consumer of aluminum in the world after the United States, is dependent on imports for 99% of its consumption (as of 1996). The output of other process industries has remained roughly flat throughout the 1990s amid a decline in the proportion of "heavy, long-term" industries.

[Shinichi Tonomura]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生産工程の中心部に設置された大型中心装置の生産能力にあわせて、その前後に必要な処理能力を備えた各種装置が配置され、各装置の自動化（自動制御）と装置間の送りの自動化（ベルトコンベヤー、パイプライン）を通じて、労働者数や輸送費を減らし、生産性向上（合理化）を図っている産業をいう。鉄鋼、アルミ製錬、石油精製、石油・石炭化学、窯業（セメント、ガラス）、合成繊維、紙・パルプ、精糖・製油・製粉など素材型産業で、労働装備率や資本集約度が高く、巨額の資本を必要とするものに多い。一般に、装置の大型化、高速化、稼動率の引上げは、エネルギー効率や製品歩留りを高め、コスト低下の効果（スケール・メリット）を生み、経営の効率性を高める。

　日本では、1950年代なかばから70年代初頭の高度成長期に、大企業によって、工場の新設と大型化のための巨額の設備投資が行われ、世界有数の巨大設備をもつ装置産業が発展した。とくに、鉄鋼、石油化学では、連続製鋼や原料の総合利用のため、各種製品の製造工程における技術・生産・立地上の統一性が追求され、「規模の経済性」を実現する場として、一貫製鋼工場や石油化学コンビナートの形成がみられた。

　装置産業における装置の大型化は、生産技術水準に応じた最適規模と最大需要にあわせて行われる。そのため、好況時には経営効率が著しく高まる反面、景気後退時には、需給ギャップによる稼動率の低下、減産による固定費負担の増大、ひいては業界全体の過剰設備問題を生み出す。1973年（昭和48）の石油危機以降、低成長経済への移行に伴い、日本の装置産業の多くは、エネルギー・コストの上昇と需要減退から、アルミ、紙・パルプなどを先頭に構造不況産業に陥ったものが多い。このうち、エネルギー多消費型の紙・パルプ工業は合理化・省エネルギー対策と自家発電比率の向上（74.5％、1996年現在）と情報化の進展による高加工度紙等の需要増加により、アメリカに次ぐ世界第2位の位置を維持している。「電気の缶詰」といわれるアルミ新地金の精錬は、電力コストの内外格差と円高のあおりで一事業所を残して全滅し、アメリカに次ぐ世界第2位の新地金消費量の99％（1996年現在）を輸入に依存している。その他の装置産業の生産高は、「重厚長大」型産業の比率低下のなかで、90年代を通じてほぼ横ばいで推移している。

［殿村晋一］

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