008 washing machines

8/2/2019 008 Washing Machines

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/008-washing-machines 1/3

Washing Machines

India has an increasingly afuent mid-

dle class population that, on the back

of rapid economic growth, has made

the country’s home appliances industryhighly dynamic. The industry has been

witnessing signicant growth in recent

years due to several factors, including the

retail boom, growing disposable incomes,

and availability of easy nance schemes.

The Indian washing machines market is

on a high growth trajectory with an overall

growth of 38 percent in 2009-2010. This is

a major increase from the 25 percent last

year. The total market of the washing ma-

chines industry in 2009-10 was 3.8 million

units, which is a remarkable growth from

last year’s 2.75 million units.

The market was dominated by four major

players with a combined market share of

79.16 percent. LG was the market leader

with sales of 1.1 million machines and

a market share of 29 percent. Samsung

had a market share of 18.7 percent with

710,000 units sold. Videocon Group, which

includes brand Videocon, Kelvinator, Elec-

trolux, and Kenstar, had a market share

of 16 percent and sold 600,000 units.

Whirlpool closely followed with a market

share of 15.74 percent and 598,000 units

sold. Godrej, IFB, and Onida have market

shares of 6.6 percent, 4.2 percent, and 3.9

percent respectively. Haier, Panasonic,TCL, Toshiba, Daenyx, Maharaja, ETA

O’General, T-Series Weston, Beltek, and

Bestavision also have a presence in the

market.

The semi-automatic segment is estimated

at 2.5 million units for the year 2009-2010,

with four major brands, LG, Videocon

Group, Samsung, and Whirlpool dominat-

ing together with 81 percent share of the

Semi-automatic market. Godrej and Onida

also have a presence in this segment.

The fully automatic segment saw an as-tronomical growth of 53.2 percent over

last year. The market continues to be led

by LG at 38 percent. Samsung, Whirlpool,

and IFB each account for 12–17 percent

market share. IFB continues to be the

largest brand in the front loader market

with estimated sales of 160,000 units.

Videocon and Godrej are also aggressive

in this segment. Other remaining players

together had a share of 4.47 percent with

sales of 57,610 units; a decline from last

year’s market share of 5.21 percent.

An ADI Media Publication | adi-media.com | APRIL 11 | TV VEOPAR JOURNAL | 69



GE Appliances is also foraying into Indian

washing machine segment. The company

has tied up with Delhi- based Shelka Mar-

keting Private Limited for distributing

appliances in the northern region. With

the intention of tapping only top-end cus-

tomers in the country, the company would

import its products from Latin America,

North America, Europe, and South East

Asia. GE Appliances also has plan to roll

out its products in South India in this year

as it has tied up with another distributor

Servomax which would be responsible for

selling GE products.

”We are looking to earn a revenue of US$

10 million this scal with the launch of our

washing machines, ACs, refrigerators, and

cooking appliances from the northern re-gion only,” said Narender Singh Ranawat,

Sales Manager, GE Appliances-India.

A major trend that has been driving the

market is the shift of the urban user from

a semi-automatic washing machines to a

fully automatic version. Year-on-year, the

share of fully automatic washing machine

has risen by 53.19 percent. These not only

save time but are far more convenient in

terms of involvement and operation.

Consumers are making a transition from

lower capacity to a higher capacity model.

People prefer a larger wash in one go rath-

er than running more rounds of lower ca-

pacity. This is also a better solution using

relatively less water and detergents. This

is showing even more acceptance in rural

areas where there is no crunch for space

and the income tab is rising and making

home appliances more affordable.

The Green Revolution in washing

Although the days of beating clothes

against a rock in the river are history, itwould be prudent to practice more consci-

entious laundry methods. In terms of wa-

ter usage, a washing machines uses 40–80

gallons of water per load; in terms of pow-

er, a clothes dryer uses 1,800–5,000 kw.

If all consumers would use the clothesline

or wooden drying racks, the savings would

be enough to close several power plants all

over the world. Add to that the maelstrom

of synthetic fragrance and other assorted

toxic chemicals from laundry products en-

tering the waste stream and are affecting

indoor air quality and it seems obvious

that the culture of laundry is in need of a

green makeover.

The “waterless” washing machines that

could save money. Dry cleaning is set tobecome a domestic activity with a washing

machines that uses 90 percent less water

than a normal laundry cycle and could be

available by the end of 2011. The device,

developed by Leeds-based Xeros Ltd, re-

places water with tiny plastic beads that

suck up stains and its producers claim it

will shift stubborn pounds from household

energy bills as well.

The process uses 3 mm-long nylon beads

that can get into all the crevices and folds

of clothing and can also be re-used hun-dreds of times. The beads ood the ma-

chine’s drum once the clothes are wet and

the humidity is at the right level. After the

washing cycle is complete, the beads drain

away in the same way as water in a con-

ventional machine.

The chief executive of Xerox, Bill West-

water says, “The net saving in water, de-

tergent, and electricity and including the

cost of the beads, we calculate, is about a

30 percent cost saving for the user.” He

claims the machine has been tested suc-

cessfully on a range of fabrics stained with

everything from mud, red wine, and curry

stains to ink from ballpoint pens.

When the beads are at the end of their life,

saturated with dirt and stains, they can be

collected and recycled into, for example,

dashboards for cars. Westwater has al-

ready built a prototype washing machines

and aims to have a product ready for the

commercial laundry market by the end of

next year, with a consumer version com-

ing to market shortly afterwards. There is

more of a technical challenge (in develop-ment) as you compact the system. But it’s

not just about that - there’s also consumer

inertia. For millennia, people have been

washing their clothes with water and a bit

of detergent and suddenly we’re coming

along and saying that most of that water

can be replaced by these beads. That’s a

big leap in the consumers’ minds.

The futuristic washing machines At the kitchen fair Eurocucina 2010 in

Milan, Electrolux has presented the Shine

70 | TV VEOPAR JOURNAL | APRIL 11 | adi-media.com | An ADI Media Publication



washing machines concepts, with one free-

standing and one wall mounted version.

The free standing version of Shine can

be integrated underneath the bathroom

sink, while the wall mounted version in-

tegrates nicely with bathroom cupboards.

By 2050, around 74 percent of the world’s

population is expected to live in an urban

environment. With these shrinking spaces

new smarter solutions need to be found.

As true Scandinavian design, the Shine

concepts are sleekly designed, yet func-

tional at the same time. The small display

above the door has a smaller selection of

programs, depending on the type of items

placed in the washing machines.

Washing machines trendsGloballys, there have been various trends,

some of the major ones may be highlight-

ed:

Washing machines design is to replace

the machine’s traditional drive system

with an electronically controlled brush-

less alternative. In the past, washing

machines designs employed either a two-

speed single-phase AC induction motor

with electromechanical controls or a uni-

versal brushed motor with triac-switch-

phase control.

The new electronic control systems are en-

abling features that were once too costly

or impossible to implement. As these new

features have gained popularity, manu-

facturers have even begun to design them

into their midrange or lower-end models.

Lower raw-material prices are making

permanent-magnet synchronous (PMS)

motors more attractive than induction

and universal motors, nullifying the cost

impact of electronic-component additionsfor the control system. At the same time,

other components have been eliminated,

such as gearboxes and pulleys required in

a mechanical control scheme and sensors

needed for rotor position feedback. The

results are a smaller and lighter motor

and a drive system with greater capabil-

ity, higher reliability, and improved en-

ergy efciency.

Another trend in washing machines de-

sign is the migration from vertical-axis

to horizontal-axis washers to save water

and energy. Vertical-axis machines re-

quire clothing to be completely immersed

in water while horizontal-axis washers

only need enough water to ll the base of

the drum.

In reducing hot water, these horizontal-

axis machines deliver one of the greatest

impacts to overall energy savings, and

one that is enabled by electronic control

systems. Horizontal-axis washers demand

controls that are more sophisticated.

They require fast torque response from

the controller to manage load conditions

that are constantly changing. Higher

spinning speeds require better balancing

of the drum to prevent washing machines

vibration, associated noise, and higher

stress on bearings and dampers.

Preventing machine wear and tear, new

control systems can detect, assess, and

even predict possible out-of-balance con-

ditions and dynamically correct for them.

The task requires high torque at low

speeds and low torque at high speeds, us-

ing articial eld weakening.

Drum-spinning speed itself has become a

signicant design consideration and im-

portant product differentiator.In the US, where larger drums deliver

higher load capacities, 1,200 rpm is the

norm. These higher spinning speeds lead

to greater centrifugal force resulting in

better water extraction, shorter spinning

cycles, and ultimately, shorter drying

times.

With variable-speed motor control sys-

tems in place, washing programs can be

expanded to accommodate previously non-

washable fabrics and protect the environ-

ment further by reducing the amount of detergent required. Latest trend, found at

the core of variable-speed motion control

systems, is the move to sinusoidal drive

schemes to minimize audible noise.

The washing machines, termed the 12th

most important invention ever by man,

certainly seems to be nding popularity

in Indian households, who are fast em-

bracing the comforts of this mechanical

helper.

Research conducted in July 2010

An ADI Media Publication | adi-media.com | APRIL 11 | TV VEOPAR JOURNAL | 71

008 washing machines

Documents