Modest Majap Gains Foreseen In Coming Year

By Tedra Meyer On Jun 23 2003 - 6:00am

Factory shipments of major appliances are expected to inch up 2.1 percent in 2004, according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM).

Based on majap makers' projections for their own businesses, the AHAM forecast sees unit factory shipments in the United States totaling 70.7 million in 2004, compared to the 69.3 million estimated for 2003, and the 67.9 million actually shipped in 2002. (All 2003 numbers are estimates after May.)

The so-called AHAM 6, a composite category comprised of the core washer, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, freezer and range product sectors, is expected to slightly outpace overall sales, with unit shipments rising 2.2 percent from 41.6 million in 2003 to 42.6 million in 2004.

In terms of individual categories, cooking remains the top seller, with 22.9 million units expected to ship in 2004, a growth of 2.4 percent over the previous year.

Every category is expected to climb save for home comfort, which estimates show will remain flat with a projected 7 million units shipping in both 2003 and 2004.