<P> Though factories dominated the Industrial Era, the growth in the service sector eventually began to dethrone them: the focus of labor in general shifted to central - city office towers or to semi-rural campus - style establishments, and many factories stood deserted in local rust belts . </P> <P> The next blow to the traditional factories came from globalization . Manufacturing processes (or their logical successors, assembly plants) in the late 20th century re-focussed in many instances on Special Economic Zones in developing countries or on maquiladoras just across the national boundaries of industrialized states . Further re-location to the least industrialized nations appears possible as the benefits of out - sourcing and the lessons of flexible location apply in the future . </P> <P> Much of management theory developed in response to the need to control factory processes . Assumptions on the hierarchies of unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled laborers and their supervisors and managers still linger on; however an example of a more contemporary approach to handle design applicable to manufacturing facilities can be found in Socio - Technical Systems (STS). </P> <P> A shadow factory is a term given to dispersed manufacturing sites in times of war to reduce the risk of disruption due to enemy air - raids and often with the dual purpose of increasing manufacturing capacity . Before World War II Britain had built many shadow factories . </P>

Why do they call a factory a plant