Appliance Design articles from March 2009

Appliance Design archives from March 2009

Are fast moves the right moves?(Editorial)
March 1, 2009... Filmmaker Sam Peckinpah once made a Western in which a bad guy filled his shotgun shells with dimes instead of pellets to more effectively solve his people problems. That image of money spraying out of a shotgun was the first thing that popped...

Forecasts.(shipments of home appliances )(Statistical table)
March 1, 2009... FORECASTS MAJOR HOME APPLIANCES--Shipments (Thousands of Units) Qtr: 2008 2009 2010 1 17,392.1 16,261.6 16,993.4 2 21,003.7 20,247.6 ...

Shipments.(Statistical table)
March 1, 2009... SHIPMENTS Product Dec.'08 Dec.'07 %Chg MAJOR APPLIANCES (Thousands of Units) TOTAL 5,337.3 6,046.1 -11.7% Cooking--Total 1,740.0 ...

CES: attendance light, products bright.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... The struggling economy resulted in lower attendance at the 42nd annual Consumer Electronics Show, but the 110,000 people who did attend were able to view an estimated 20,000 new products from 2,700 exhibitors, including 300 new exhibiting...

Sharp recycling.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... Sharp Electronics has established a nationwide electronics recycling program. The company, the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Sharp Corp., has expanded its current recycling program to 280 sites nationwide, including at least one location in all 50...

Reduce consumption.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... Energy efficiency programs in the United States could reduce the rate of growth for electricity consumption by 22 percent over the next two decades if key barriers can be addressed, according to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). By...

Doe directed.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... On Feb. 5, President Obama ordered the Department of Energy to accelerate the development of efficiency standards for a wide variety of residential and commercial appliances, noting that the department had already missed numerous deadlines. The...

Panasonic cuts.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... Japan-based Panasonic will cut as many as 15,000 jobs and close 27 plants worldwide. Panasonic blamed the cuts on the global slowdown set off by the U.S. financial crisis, the rapid surge of the yen, and sudden price drops. Sales slid in a wide...

Spectrum files.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... Spectrum Brands, which makes Remington shavers and Rayovac batteries, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Feb. 3. Several days later, the company received initial court approval to access $235 million in debtor-in-possession financing...

Samsung eyes surge.(NEWS WATCH)(Samsung Electronics Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Samsung Electronics, South Korea, aims to increase its 2009 home appliance sales by more than 54 percent to $10 billion. Sales in 2008 were $6.5 billion. The South Korean market is saturated, the company says, and to achieve its goal, the...

Home code embraced.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... The International Code Council (ICC) voted to support the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) despite the code falling short of a 30 percent efficiency goal set by government agencies and the Energy Efficient Codes Council...

CE sales flat.(NEWS WATCH)(consumer electronics)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Consumer electronics sales are projected to reach $171 billion in 2009, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. This represents a 0.6 percent decrease as compared to 2008 when shipments increased 5.4 percent to $172 billion. The...

HVAC/R show hot.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Despite the turbulent economy, the 61st AHR Expo, held in Chicago from Jan. 26-28, was among its biggest events of all-time. More than 54,000 registered HVAC/R professionals, including nearly 35,000 attendees and...

LG synergy.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... LG Electronics USA, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., has consolidated its home appliance and consumer electronics businesses and brings together both businesses under a common umbrella. The company created a new sales division and a new marketing...

Water heater's star.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... Residential water heaters can now carry the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Star label. Using one of five specified water heating technologies, Energy Star qualified water heaters can reduce water heating bills from 7.5 percent to as much as...

UL restructured.(NEWS WATCH)(Underwriters Laboratories Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Northbrook, Ill., has reorganized into five operating units. The units are: Product Safety; UL University; Environmental Services; Life and Health Sciences; and Verification Services. The Product Safety unit...

Set top star.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... New cable, satellite, and telecommunications set-top boxes that are at least 30 percent more energy efficient than conventional models can earn the Energy Star label. The new specification became effective Jan. 1. EPA worked with cable,...

Energy issues outlined.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... The DOE's Electricity Advisory Committee (EAC) released three reports prepared for Secretary of Energy Steven Chu's consideration. These reports review challenges facing the DOE and the country in many important electricity areas, and include...

Pocketbook conservationists.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... Most middle-class Americans want to consume less energy, but are more likely to act if the change will save them money, according to a survey by the Burton G. Bettingen Foundation. Seventy-three percent of respondents indicated that they were...

Feds sieze fakes.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency says that counterfeit electrical products rank fifth on its list of seized properties. According to the CBP's 2008 Counterfeit Seizures report, the value of all seized counterfeit and pirated...

Move to Mexico.(NEWS WATCH)(Electrolux Floor Care)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Electrolux Floor Care will cease operations at its production and distribution facility in Webster, Iowa. The work will relocate to Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, before the end of the year. Approximately 85 employees will lose their jobs....

Growth in India.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... Whirlpool India aims to increase its market share in India to more than 20 percent by 2010 with a series of launches aimed to add more consumers. The overall market share, including refrigerators, clothes washing machines, air-conditioners, and...

Energy Star coalition.(NEWS WATCH)(Consortium for Energy Efficiency )(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) has formed the Coalition for Energy Star Water Heaters. The group's aim is to encourage the support of increased development and use of Energy Star residential water heaters. On Jan. 1, 2009, water...

LG grows A/C.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... LG Electronics USA has introduced a new commercial air conditioner and established its first U.S. training facility. The company launched the LG "Multi-V" A/C system and advanced energy-saving technologies in the United States. The company's...

Merloni bailout.(NEWS WATCH)(Antonio Merloni)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... The European Commission approved a 68 million euro ($89.8 million) loan guarantee to rescue Italian appliance maker Antonio Merloni, which has been hit by rising costs of raw materials and mounting debts. The aid will be paid in the form of a...

Nano notes required.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2009... The Canadian government has enacted national regulation requiring companies to detail their use of engineered nanomaterials on a one-time basis. The information will be used to evaluate the risks of engineered nanomaterials and help develop...

Laws' chilling effect.(NEWS WATCH)(energy efficiency regulation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Manufacturers of walk-in coolers and freezers say that a federal energy efficiency law that regulates the design of their equipment will cause them to lose bids to noncompliant competitors. In California, which has had a similar law in place...

Digital delayed.(NEWS WATCH)(regulation digital television)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... The mandatory transition to digital television was extended until June 12 after the House of Representatives voted to delay the transition by four months. The Senate had earlier passed similar legislation. Broadcasters were scheduled to cease...

Cutting cord clutter: wireless power transfer makes advances.(POWER)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The promise of wireless power transfer has been around since the 1800s, when it was studied by Tesla, Marconi, and others. Throughout the ensuing years, advancements came slowly. Now, it looks as if that promise is...

Battery boost: electrochemical capacitors hike peak power in portable applications.(POWER)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Electrochemical capacitors are a relatively new contender in the energy storage ball game. While electrochemical capacitors are related to batteries, they use a different energy storage mechanism. Batteries move...

Foamy future: metallic foams offer new design opportunities.(METALS)(Cover story)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The term metal foam is self-evident as a description; less obvious is the reason for making it. As the name suggests, metal foam is metal material that has been created with a porous, cellular structure, making it...

Contactless actuation: hall-effect sensors provide a reliable, durable switching alternative.(SWITCHES & RELAYS)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Despite the fact that Edwin Hall discovered the Hall effect in 1879, readily available and cost effective Hall-effect sensors would not surface in the marketplace until the later part of the 20th century. The rapid...

Alternative blowing agents: global warming issue drives new developments.(INSULATION)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The saga of alternative blowing agents for polyurethane foam insulation seems never-ending, and new chapters are still being written. In both residential and commercial refrigeration applications, the blowing agent...

Organize for opportunity.(ASSOCIATION REPORT: AHAM)
March 1, 2009... Uncertainty is the word that probably best describes the mindset of people about the economic problems being experienced globally. The unanswered question everyone is asking is, "when will things return to normal?" We are all asking ourselves...