ApplianceMagazine.com - Serving the Appliance Industry Worldwide

FROM THE TOP
by Dick Topping, vice president, Appliance Technology Division, Arthur D. Little

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April 2005
The Open Door - A Healthy Opportunity
Changing demographics, the health care crisis, a renewed focus on wellness, the U.S. “Boomer” generation retiring in unprecedented numbers all mean that the home as we know it will be very different in the not too distant future.

November 2004
From The Top - Good Humidity Could Mean Good Business
While the value of interior humidity control has long been understood, it has recently been attracting more attention than ever.

September 2004
From The Top - Carbon Dioxide Refrigerant Makes a Comeback
Before you assume this is another boring article on new refrigerants, what if I told you that air, water, and other everyday compounds can run your air-conditioner or refrigerator quite well? That’s a thermodynamic fact, and one of those everyday chemicals is so common that it constitutes what we all exhale—carbon dioxide (CO2).

July 2004
From the Top - Preparing for Liquefied Natural Gas
Energy issues are nothing new to the U.S. appliance industry. It has watched as oil and gas prices have soared and efficiency standards have been mandated, and it has wondered if alternative sources energy such as solar power would ever make it. But one alternative energy source to which you may not have given much thought is liquefied natural gas (LNG).

May 2004
From the Top - Antimicrobial Surfaces for Appliances
You may have grown up listening to your mother’s insistent warnings about germs. “Don’t touch that; you don’t know where it’s been” and “wash your hands before you eat” are admonishments that most of us know well. Your mother probably wasn’t a microbiologist, but she was still on to something.

March 2004
From The Top - The Power of Micro-CHP
There's a new buzzword floating around the industry - Micro-CHP.

January 2004
From The Top - The Road to Innovation
If you traveled the U.S. interstates this past summer, you may have noticed, as I did, that there seems to be an ever-increasing number of recreational vehicles (RVs) on the road.

November 2003
From the Top - Diets: They Are a Changin'
The U.S. faces a potential public health crisis more formidable than anything it has experienced in the past. Today, as many as 65 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.

September 2003
From the Top - Bringing Health Care Home
When most of us think of retirement, we envision happy days filled with family, friends, and hobbies. We think of a rich, independent life of our own making. But as we age, the likelihood of needing assistance with even basic daily tasks multiplies, as does our odds of living in a nursing home.

July 2003
From the Top - R&D's Rocky Road: Why a New Alternative is Essential
In my May column, I talked about the "innovation crisis" that has hit many technology-based industries.

May 2003
From the Top - The Innovation Crisis
Frankly, I returned from my 15th (or so) International Appliance Technical Conference (IATC), held March 10-12, in Lafayette, IN, U.S., a bit depressed.

March 2003
From the Top - Engineering to Own the Space(SM)
Your patented new product is just about to hit the market, where it has the potential to transform the industry. But before you start projecting revenue streams and planning for a new manufacturing wing, you may want to consider this: Developing a technology breakthrough is a monumental effort - but it's only half the job.

January 2003
From the Top - The Open Source Solution
On Oct. 15, 2002, a group of leading researchers, scientists, web and IT specialists, engineers, and business leaders met in Cambridge, MA, U.S. at the MIT Open Source Building Alliance (OSBA) workshop.

November 2002
From the Top - The Cost of Corrosion
Jane noticed that the temperature in her refrigerator seemed to be rising. Since it was still under warranty, she called and asked for a manufacturer's service representative to investigate. By the time he arrived 2 days later, she had moved the majority of perishable foods into a cooler and emptied the freezer of half-thawed food. The refrigerator had clearly lost its ability to cool.