Show CONSUMER O R N E R. R LOWER APPLIANCE COSTS Fifteen years ago a good price for a gleaming white whitewashing whitewashing whitewashing washing machine and dryer with wilh all the up to features features fea fea- fea tures then available would have set a sharp shopper back about Today such a shopper could easily come up with replacement units with more convenience features a larger motor longer lasting parts and a wide range range of colors colors- all for about third one-third less than in the good old days What's hats the story I In part its it's the free enterprise enterprise enter enter- enterprise prise system at work Manufacturers Manufacturers Manu Manu- of major appliances are a competitive bunch and they cant can't afford to pass on onto onto onto to consumers their rising labor and material costs Instead they rely on improved product product prod prod- engineering and higher productivity to offset mounting mounting mount mount- ing costs Without a doubt one of or orthe the reasons the appliance industry industry industry in in- has been able to hold down production costs year after year is the increased use of plastics says an appliance ap industry executive Scoffers at the plastic society may be surprised to learn that the appliance industry industry in which builds parts to last is a major customer of the plastics industry according according ac ac- ac cording to a recent issue of Exxon Chemicals Magazine Others using plastics for Cor durable durable du duo du- du rable end uses include the automotive communications and construction businesses By Dy far far are the plastics most widely used in major appliances In 1973 1913 appliances appliances appliances ap ap- consumed million mil lion pounds of or this material ABS ADS plastics were next with nearly million pounds and then came polypropylene with wilh 97 91 million pounds Exxon Chemical USA is a major producer of polyp polypropylene ropy leneas lene as well as such petroleum petroleum- derived chemicals as propylene e elene lene end and b benzene which ore are essential components compo Campo nerds of oC nearly all lilt the 10 40 families of or plastics now in ill commercial use 1 It li lif |