The seven ages of industry

The world of manufacturing is being shaped by a new industrial revolution, the seventh in a series of key epochs for this sector in the past 2,000 years and the most important since the original industrial revolution that started in northern England around 1780.

This new period, which started in 2005, features the disciplines of “networked manufacturing”, connecting up design with physical production even when these activities are many miles apart, global “niche” production, where companies make narrow ranges of products but sell them globally, and the rapid transfer of “production intelligence” in the shape of designs, intellectual property and technology.

This interactive graphic examines key innovations, products and people that have shaped and are shaping each of the seven industrial epochs, and looks at the share of world manufacturing output in selected countries during each age.

Sources for chart: Paul Bairoch, IHS Global Insight, UN, Stephen Broadberry, Angus Maddison, FT estimates