Appliance Design - March 2008 - (Page 9)

NEwS watch REcORD RESULtS. Whirlpool Corp., Benton Harbor, Mich., reported record annual net sales of $19.4 billion, an increase of 7 percent from the prior year. This includes 4th quarter revenue of $5.3 billion, which is an increase of more than 7 percent from the $5 billion reported in 2006. Whirlpool North America saw operating profits increase 74 percent to $332 million. The company says that 4th quarter operating results benefited from cost-efficiency realization associated with last year’s acquisition of Maytag, productivity improvements, improved product mix and a favorable net currency impact. The results were offset by higher material and oil-related costs. Based on current economic conditions, the company expects 2008 U.S. industry unit shipments to decline 3 to 5 percent. Internationally, Whirlpool Europe reported record fourth-quarter and full-year revenue and operating profit. Whirlpool Latin America reported record fourth-quarter and full-year revenue and operating profit and Whirlpool Asia reported quarterly sales of $155 million, which is a 26 percent increase from the prior year. The company also announced changes to several of its North American manufacturing facilities. The company plans to close its facilities in LaVergne, Tenn., and Reynosa, Mexico. Built-in refrigerators currently manufactured at the LaVergne facility will be moved to the company’s Fort Smith, Ark., facility, and production of side-by-side refrigerators made at Reynosa will shift to Whirlpool’s Ramos Arizpe, Mexico site. At LaVergne, approximately 500 jobs will be eliminated, while at Reynosa, an estimated 750 jobs will be affected. The Fort Smith plant expects to add approximately 275 jobs, and the Ramos Arizpe facility plans to add an estimated 600 employees. measured voltages delivered inside the pacemakers by the fields. Using a 3-coil sensor, the team measured the magnetic field produced by the iPod at a distance of around 5 to 10 mm. The peak magnetic strength was 0.2 millionths of a Tesla, a value hundreds of times lower than the levels capable of interfering with a pacemakers, according to the report. The next Generation! Faster, smaller, higher rating. PhONE, GPS, wEB. Garmin International of New York, a manufacturer of global positioning systems, introduced the nuvifone, a touch-screen mobile phone with a web browser and GPS system built in. Its interface features three primary icons, call, search and view map. When the unit is docked on a vehicle mount, it automatically turns on the GPS, activates the navigation menu and enables hands-free calling. Introducing our newest generation of TCOs. - fastest thermal response - rated up to 15 A home screen for nuvifone. - closed ceramic housing PacEMaKER SaFE. A report in the journal, BioMedical Engineering OnLine refutes claims that portable music players, such as Apple’s iPod, can interfere with pacemakers. A team of scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration measured the magnetic fields produced by four iPod models: a 4th generation iPod and an iPod with video, and an iPod nano and iPod Shuffle. The team also www.applianceDESIGN.com PV GROUP FORMED. A new group was formed to support the global photovoltaic industry. SEMI, the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International association, formed the SEMI PV Group (www.pvgroup.org), which has members in Europe, North America, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and China. The members provide the equipment, materials and services used to produce renewable energy from photovoltaic technologies. The global PV industry is projected to grow from $13 billion in sales to more than $40 billion by 2012. TCO “Minimelt II” For more Information Enter 100 World demand for major household appliances is projected to increase 3.1 percent annually through 2012 and exceed 480 million applianceDESIGN March 2008 9 GLOBaL DEMaND. INTER CONTROL Hermann Köhler Elektrik GmbH & Co. KG www.intercontrol.de info@intercontrol.de http://www.intercontrol.de http://www.pvgroup.org http://www.intercontrol.de http://www.appliancedesign.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Appliance Design - March 2008

Appliance Design - March 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch A New Appliance is Set to Break into Homes Soon - the Micro CHP Unit, which Generate both Heat and Power. Thermally Enhanced Varistors Help Protect Low-Power Systems Against Damage Caused by Over-Current, Over-Temperature and Over-Voltage Faults. Hybrid Controller Reduces Standby Power Consumption and Improves Active-Mode Efficiency. Battery-Management ICs Solve Design Challenges for Cordless Appliances Using High-Voltage, Lithium-Ion Battery Technology. A Semiconductor Solution Protects the Relay in a Temperature Controller for a Cooking Appliance. New Polyurethane Foam Insulation System Optimizes both Insulation Performance and Productivity. Innovations in Decorative, Pre-Finished Metals Expand Range of Design Options for Appliance Designers. Design Marts Association Report: AHAM Advertiser's Index

Appliance Design - March 2008

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