The 3rd International Roundtable of Household Appliance Manufacturer Association (IRHMA) was held in Shanghai by rotating chair China Household Electrical Appliances Association (CHEAA) on March12, 2016. This conference brought together experts from China, the US, the EU, Japan and South Korea to discuss the work done by all working groups under IRHMA in the past year, industry trends and and the development of smart home appliances. A date and place was made for next conference.
The progress of each working group for 2015 was reported at the conference by representatives from Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) of the United States, the European Committee of Domestic Equipment Manufacturers (CECED), China Household Electrical Appliance Association (CHEAA) and the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association (JEMA).
Paolo Falcioni, secretary-general of CECED, introduced statistics collected from different regions, and according to the statistics, IRHMA members registered 77% of global GDP and 77% of market share of home appliance industry.
Joe McGuire, president of AHAM, shared two policies designed to enhance energy efficiency: early replacement project and the reform on energy law. He discouraged the act of sacrificing product performance for excessively high energy ratings, saying it would be embarrassing and meaningless for both consumers and manufacturers if an energy-efficient dish washer didn't clean well.
Yukio Uchida, vice chairman of Technical Committee on World-wide Standards and Certification, updated the work of the Standards and Information Working Group, which includes revisions in UL standards, the safety standards for low-voltage electrical equipments, and EMC regulations proposed by the Gulf states.
Shao Huairong, representative of CHEAA, reported the work of Smart Home Appliance Working Group for the past 2015, and CHEAA's efforts in the standardization of connectivity among smart home appliances after analyzing China smart home appliance industry and market trends. The CHEAA-led working group made a pledge to further strengthen exchanges among IRHMA members after hearing the discussion at the conference.
Members of IRHMA also introduced the status quo of home appliance industry in each country and exchanged views over the industry development.
An annual statement for the 3rd IRHMA was released after the conference. The statement noted that, with great importance attached to the development of smart home appliances, the industry shall develop in accordance with the following goals : (1) provide added value for consumers; (2) adhere to the highest safety standards, and protect customer privacy; (3) promote connectivity among products of different brands; (4) intensify cooperation among global home appliance makers to cope with challenges in smartization; (5) establish cross-industry cooperation between smart home appliance industry and home furnishing industry.
Accompanied by Wan Chunhui, director of CHEAA's Department of Standards and Regulations, IRHMA representatives visited Appliances and Electronics World Expo (AWE), another professional event hosted by CHEAA in Shanghai, with particular attention on booths of Haier, Midea, Bosch, Siemens, Whirlpool, and Panasonic.