Résumé
By increasing the size of production, storage, and transport equipment, firms seek to take advantage of an increase in volume (outputs) proportionally larger than the increase in surface (inputs). But economies of scale are limited by the strength of the materials, the distance to supply and service points, and the risks of accidents, congestion, and loss of control, which are all the more serious when the equipment in question is large. This article studies the gains and costs induced by surface/volume effects in the main industrial sectors.
Mots-clés
economies of scale; storage; transport; thermodynamics; industrial risk;
Codes JEL
- L63: Microelectronics • Computers • Communications Equipment
- L9: Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities
- O14: Industrialization • Manufacturing and Service Industries • Choice of Technology
- N7: Transport, Trade, Energy, Technology, and Other Services
Remplace
Claude Crampes et Michel Moreaux, « L'effet surface/volume et ses limites », TSE Working Paper, n° 21-1200, avril 2021.
Référence
Claude Crampes et Michel Moreaux, « L'effet surface/volume et ses limites », Revue d'Économie Industrielle, n° 177, 2022, p. 9–27.
Voir aussi
Publié dans
Revue d'Économie Industrielle, n° 177, 2022, p. 9–27