Mill vs Factory
Key Difference – Mill vs Factory
Mill and Factory are two words that are often confused as one and the same thing although there is a clear difference between the two. First let us define the two words. A mill generally refers to a building fitted with a mechanical apparatus for grinding corn. On the other hand, a factory refers to a building or buildings containing plant or equipment for manufacturing goods or machinery. This highlights that there exists a clear difference between a mill and a factory. Through this article let us identify the various differences between the two words.
What is a Mill?
First let us begin with the word mill. A mill generally refers to a building fitted with a mechanical apparatus for grinding corn. In short it can be said that any machine or apparatus for grinding any solid substance to powder or pulp. A good example of a mill is the rice mill or the pepper mill. Thus, it can be said that a mill is the subset of a factory. It is interesting to know that the term mill was once used to refer to a factory because many factories in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution were powered by a watermill.
There are a number of mills for that matter such as a textile mill, paper mill, saw mill, gristmill, steel mill, cider mill, a huller mill, powder mill and the like. Each of these mills has a role to play in the grinding of substances or the making of substances. A saw mill cuts timber, a cider mill crushes apples to give cider, a huller mill crushes rice, a powder mill produces gunpowder and grist mill grind grain into flour. This provides us with a clear understanding of the mill. Now let us move on to the next word.
A Tide Mill
What is a Factory?
A factory refers to a building or buildings containing plant or equipment for manufacturing goods or machinery. It is thus understood that the machine or the apparatus used in a mill is also manufactured in a factory. The machine manufactured in a factory is made use of in a mill to grind rice or pepper or any other solid substance.
A factory is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Factories are equipped with a large warehouse and heavy machines as well. Factories are run on resources namely laborers, capital and plant whereas a mill is not run on heavy resources. This highlights that the two words mill and the factory cannot be used interchangeably as they refer to two different things. This difference can be summarized as follows.
What is the Difference Between a Mill and a Factory?
Definitions of Mill and Factory:
Mill: A mill refers to a building fitted with a mechanical apparatus for grinding corn.
Factory: A factory refers to a building or buildings containing plant or equipment for manufacturing goods or machinery.
Characteristics of Mill and Factory:
Usage:
Mill: Mills are used for grinding any solid substance to powder or pulp.
Factory: A factory is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another.
Heavy Resources:
Mill: Heavy resources are not used in mills.
Factory: Heavy resources are used in factories.
Equipment:
Mill: Mills do not require large warehouses and heavy machinery, although some machines are needed for grinding.
Factory: Factories are equipped with large warehouse and heavy machines
Image Courtesy:
1.”Moulin maree brehat“. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
2. Wolfsburg vW-Werk By Photo: Andreas Praefcke (Self-published work by AndreasPraefcke) [CC BY 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
