Majap Shipments Rebounded In Dec.
By Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 1/25/2010
Washington —
Factory shipments of key major appliance categories roared back to life in December, as steep Black Friday discounts helped trigger pent-up consumer demand.
The sales surge put a grace note on an otherwise dismal year for white goods, in which total unit shipments decreased 13 percent for the 12 months, ended Dec. 31, 2009.
Total unit shipments edged up only 1 percent in December, hindered by a sharp decline in room air orders. But according to the latest wholesale data compiled by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), the core refrigeration and laundry categories snapped back with high single-digits gains last month following nearly three years of declines.
Indeed, shipments of refrigerators climbed 9.3 percent to some 830,700 units, while freestanding freezers enjoyed an 8.7 percent lift over the year-ago period.
Full-year shipments for the total food preservation category were down 8.1 percent in 2009.
Also showing renewed vigor was the critical laundry category, which rose 6.1 percent last month to 1.3 million units shipped. Broken out by product, washer shipments increased 7 percent to 720,700 units and total dryer shipments were up 5 percent, led by an 8.2 percent surge in gas-heated models.
Total home laundry shipments were down 5.5 percent in 2009.
Whether the white-goods industry can maintain that momentum past the holiday selling season remains to be seen. So far, Whirlpool North America president Marc Bitzer told TWICE, sales activity in the new year has been choppy.
Elsewhere in AHAM's monthly shipment figures, December demand was less robust. While the kitchen cleanup category enjoyed a 4.5 percent bump last month, the increase was due solely to a 10 percent surge in disposers, while dishwasher shipments were flat and compactor unit volume fell nearly 23 percent. The total kitchen clean-up category ended the year with a 7.8 percent decline.
Similarly, a 9.3 percent spike in shipments of gas ranges couldn't offset an 8 percent drop in microwave ovens and a 3.5 percent decline in electric ovens, ranges and cooktops, leaving the cooking category with a 4.1 percent decrease for the month and a 14 percent fall-off for the full year.
Industry Shipments of Major Appliances*
(In Thousands of Units)
| Product | 2009 DEC. | 2008 DEC. | % Chg. | 2009 12 mos. | 2008 12 mos. | % Chg. |
| *Domestic shipments only. Includes U.S. produced and imported products. **AHAM 6 includes: Washers, Dryers, Dishwashers, Refrigerators, Freezers, and Free-Standing and Built-In Ranges.Source: AHAM © TWICE 2010 |
||||||
| All Major Appliances | 4,612.8 | 4,573.7 | 0.9% | 59,342.5 | 68,185.3 | (13.0)% |
| Cooking-Total | 1,409.8 | 1,470.3 | (4.1)% | 16,568.2 | 19,289.5 | (14.1)% |
| Electric Cooking - Total | 388.0 | 402.0 | (3.5)% | 4,333.0 | 5,106.6 | (15.1)% |
| Electric Ranges | 302.9 | 313.6 | (3.4)% | 3,447.8 | 3,972.8 | (13.2)% |
| Electric Ovens | 55.1 | 56.2 | (1.9)% | 549.0 | 700.4 | (21.6)% |
| Surface Cooking Units | 29.9 | 32.2 | (7.1)% | 336.2 | 433.4 | (22.4)% |
| Gas Cooking - Total | 261.3 | 241.8 | 8.1% | 2,598.1 | 2,842.7 | (8.6)% |
| Gas Ranges | 229.6 | 210.1 | 9.3% | 2,263.9 | 2,408.4 | (6.0)% |
| Gas Ovens | 4.6 | 4.7 | (2.4)% | 43.7 | 47.0 | (7.0)% |
| Surface Cooking Units | 27.1 | 27.0 | 0.2% | 290.5 | 387.3 | (25.0)% |
| Microwave Ovens | 760.5 | 826.5 | (8.0)% | 9,637.1 | 11,340.2 | (15.0)% |
| Home Laundry - Total | 1,324.5 | 1,248.1 | 6.1% | 14,420.7 | 15,264.8 | (5.5)% |
| Automatic Washers | 720.7 | 673.2 | 7.0% | 7,910.7 | 8,291.7 | (4.6)% |
| Dryers - Total | 603.9 | 574.9 | 5.0% | 6,510.0 | 6,973.1 | (6.6)% |
| Electric | 480.4 | 460.7 | 4.3% | 5,216.5 | 5,619.7 | (7.2)% |
| Gas | 123.5 | 114.2 | 8.2% | 1,293.5 | 1,353.3 | (4.4)% |
| Kitchen CleanUp - Total | 929.6 | 889.3 | 4.5% | 10,671.7 | 11,579.2 | (7.8)% |
| Disposers | 458.3 | 417.1 | 9.9% | 5,219.8 | 5,509.6 | (5.3)% |
| Dishwashers - Total | 466.6 | 466.2 | 0.1% | 5,404.7 | 5,995.1 | (9.8)% |
| Built-In | 459.4 | 457.9 | 0.3% | 5,334.4 | 5,903.4 | (9.6)% |
| Portable | 7.2 | 8.3 | (12.8)% | 70.3 | 91.7 | (23.4)% |
| Compactors | 4.6 | 6.0 | (22.6)% | 47.2 | 74.5 | (36.7)% |
| Food Preservation - Total | 830.7 | 760.6 | 9.2% | 10,479.7 | 11,408.1 | (8.1)% |
| Refrigerators | 668.5 | 611.4 | 9.3% | 8,436.4 | 9,309.6 | (9.4)% |
| Freezers - Total | 162.2 | 149.2 | 8.7% | 2,043.3 | 2,098.5 | (2.6)% |
| Chest | 93.1 | 86.0 | 8.2% | 1,218.3 | 1,242.5 | (1.9)% |
| Upright | 69.1 | 63.2 | 9.4% | 825.0 | 856.1 | (3.6)% |
| Home Comfort - Total | 118.2 | 205.4 | (42.5)% | 7,202.3 | 10,643.8 | (32.3)% |
| Room Air Conditioners | 66.1 | 176.5 | (62.6)% | 5,502.7 | 9,085.5 | (39.4)% |
| Dehumidifiers | 52.1 | 28.8 | 80.6% | 1,699.6 | 1,558.3 | 9.1% |
| AHAM 6** | 3,214.1 | 3,059.5 | 5.1% | 36,609.4 | 39,796.6 | (8.0)% |
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