ABSTRACT
Malaysia's move into heavy industries at the beginning of the 1980s was premature. While the manufacturing sector had exhausted the limits of the initial phase, it was not yet ready to begin the steep climb towards the secondary phase. An analysis of the structure of the manufacturing sector in Malaysia towards the end of the 1970s reveals its strengths and weaknesses. Table 10.1 shows that the most important industries in Malaysia in 1978 in terms of value added were food, electrical machinery, rubber and wood products industries. Needless to say, the ranking differed when other criteria were used. Table 10.2 shows the most important industries in terms of number of establishments, total employment, value of fixed assets and revenue.
