Article

L'effet surface/volume et ses limites

Claude Crampes, and Michel Moreaux

Abstract

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.

Keywords

economies of scale; storage; transport; thermodynamics; industrial risk;

JEL codes

  • 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

Replaces

Claude Crampes, and Michel Moreaux, L'effet surface/volume et ses limites, TSE Working Paper, n. 21-1200, April 2021.

Reference

Claude Crampes, and Michel Moreaux, L'effet surface/volume et ses limites, Revue d'Économie Industrielle, n. 177, 2022, pp. 9–27.

Published in

Revue d'Économie Industrielle, n. 177, 2022, pp. 9–27