Terminology – Professions that produce an end product and material for it

terminology

Is there a separate technical term for professions that produce an end product and professions that produce a raw material?

For example (let's simplify things):

  • A miner produces copper. Copper cannot be used just like that – it needs to be processed, first.
  • A guy who makes cables uses the copper from the miner to make a copper cable. The cable is now an end product that you can use right away.

Is there a technical term for the type of profession the miner and the cable guy have that illustrates one makes raw material and the other a finished product?

Best Answer

They're known as [the] extractive and manufacturing industries.

From the BusinessDictionary

extractive industry: Any processes that involve the extraction of raw materials from the earth to be used by consumers. The extractive industry consists of any operations that remove metals, mineral and aggregates from the earth. Examples of extractive processes include oil and gas extraction, mining, dredging and quarrying.

And from Nasa.gov:

manufacturing industry: The branch of manufacture and trade based on the fabrication, processing, or preparation of products from raw materials and commodities. This includes all foods, chemicals, textiles, machines, and equipment; all refined metals and minerals derived from extracted ores; and all lumber, wood, and pulp products. [slightly reformatted]

Related Topic