Major household appliances : changing location requirements and opportunities for Missouri

Abstract

Home appliances have become commonplace in modern homes for labor saving and convenience. Nearly every home is equipped with at least one appliance while many homes have five, ten or even fifteen or more separate units. While the term "appliance" includes a multitude of products of various sizes and uses, this study will consider only eight larger appliances: Refrigerators Ranges Freezers Dishwashers Clothes Washers Water Heaters Clothes Dryers Room Air Conditioners The manufacture of these larger appliances has been historically concentrated in the northeastern portion of the United States. Although manufacturing plants have recently been established in the Midwest, South, and Far West, only a limited number are located in Missouri. The purpose of this report is ( a) to examine the important locational factors for the manufacture of larger home appliances and (b) to determine the advantages offered by Missouri to appliance manufacturers.