ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the application of new techniques and the relationship of demand, costs and output in certain sectors, in particular the importance of economies of scale in the fast-growing sectors. It discusses for the chemical industry potential sources of improvement in technological knowledge and the types of change to which they may give rise. The chemical industry provides a good example of the various ways in which research and development can lead to improvements in the stock of knowledge. In the steel and printing industries, the main technological developments can be listed and described so that their relevance is obvious to the layman and the extent of the change understandable. The process of technological change in other industries tends to produce new uses for chemicals, and the increasing complexity of industrial processes has led to a rise in demand for chemicals, both for new products and larger quantities of existing products.
