Impact Machine
When we first began using plastic panels in our ambulances, one of our competitors was successfully spreading fear that plastic was inferior. He even coined the term 'tupperware ambulances'. To counter this threat we had to demonstrate that plastic was stronger than wood and arborite, so we built an Impact Machine and took it to all the EMS conferences. The Impact Machine would lift a weight with a sharp point, and would then drop it onto samples of 3/4 inch thick plywood with arborite finish, and would also drop it onto thin 1/4 inch plastic samples. The plywood & arborite would shatter every time, whereas the plastic panels could withstand hundreds of blows. It only took one demonstration for our customers to turn from sceptics of plastic to believers!
