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steel components comprising about 75 percent of their weight. Staying on the refrigerator example, units shipped times average per-unit weight equals about 1,725,000 tons. Seventy-five per- cent steel content would account for 1,293,750 tons.
Value-Added Innovation
“Our industry continues to be essen- tial to the health, welfare and safety of our consumers, as it continues to pro- vide more value-added innovations,” says Joe McGuire, president and CEO of AHAM, who recently shared his thoughts with MetalForming on the appliance industry’s accomplishments and challenges, and its future. McGuire lists a few of those innovations:
• Invisible anti-fingerprint nano (ceramic) coatings to protect stainless- steel facades on refrigerators, dish- washers and ovens.
• Myriad controls and sensors mon- itoring such things as open compart- ment doors inside of a refrigerator; auto-sensing features on clothes wash- ers that take the guesswork out of selecting the right water settings; and automatic adjustment of cooktop tem- peratures to help avoid ruined recipes.
• Internet-friendly, app-controlled appliances that offer remote starting, stopping and monitoring from smart- phones and tablets. Refrigerators with Wi-Fi-enabled touchscreens allow homeowners to shop for food, organize family schedules and even see who is at the front door. A recent AHAM report shows that 70 percent of con- sumers are close to purchasing a con- nected appliance, or would not mind having one.
As for industry challenges, McGuire cites tariffs, trade agreements and reg- ulations as continuous concerns.
While AHAM typically does not involve itself in trade issues because of the global nature of its members, McGuire finds himself these days addressing the China tariffs and their impact on appliance makers and their suppliers.
“The recent round of 25-percent tariffs on top of the earlier 15-percent
State-of-the-art appliances such as these refrigerators demand inclusion of intricate smart components, a challenging assembly task. Photo courtesy of GE Appliances
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MetalForming/November 2019 35
tariffs drives up the cost of manufac- turing, making it difficult to invest in R&D and new facilities, while impact- ing the global supply chain,” says McGuire. “The uncertainty is disruptive and difficult; that’s what we’re hearing from our members.”
AHAM supports addressing China’s policies and practices related to intel- lectual property and innovation, says Jennifer Cleary, AHAM’s vice president of regulatory affairs, “but we continue to believe these tariffs will increase consumer costs and divert company resources away from innovating.”
As for regulations, McGuire says that AHAM commends the Department of Energy (DOE) on its recent decision to modernize its process for developing appliance efficiency standards and related test procedures. Simply put, DOE has agreed to undertake early, fact-based assessments on energy-sav- ings potential before moving ahead with new standards that may affect performance.
Looking ahead, McGuire says that appliance makers are enthusiastic about the future because of the pace of innovation.
“We’re finding more ways to make appliances more vital,” he says, “taking them beyond functionality through connectivity. Also, if policymakers con- tinue to refrain from excessive regu- lations, appliance makers and con- sumers will continue to benefit from
safe, energy-efficient and technologi- cally advanced products.”
Supplier Challenges Faced and Met
Make no mistake, the benefits that McGuire extolls are here today. Watch a decades-old rerun of Price is Right and you’ll see appliances shaped like rectangles in one of perhaps three col- ors. These were the washer and dryer pairs, oven ranges and refrigerators presented for bidding. Fast-forward to today, and the evolution in appliance styling is, in a word, striking, from col- ors to contours and, most recently, to displays, controls and other features that bulge with smart technology. The latest offerings reflect changes in con- sumer wants and needs, teamed with stepped-up design efforts and manu- facturing processes that enable it all.
One supplier at the forefront of the appliance-styling evolution is Ameri- can Trim, LLC, headquartered in Lima, OH. With more than 65 years of form- ing and decorating metal on its resume, the company ships more than 40 million parts annually for the appli- ance, heavy-truck and automotive industries. Working closely with its appliance OEM and Tier customers and their design studios, American Trim is well-positioned to comment on appliance design and styling issues, and that is just what MetalForming asked the company to do.