|
March Appliance Shipments Fall 8% May 30, 2008 |
 Print this page |
Factory shipments of major appliances fell 7.8% to 8.2 million units, down from 8.9 million units a year ago, for the month of March 2008, the latest figures available from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM).
The hardest hit sector was cooking, which fell 11.8% in factory shipments to 1.9 million units. Within that category, electric ranges fell 10.5% , electric ovens fell 16.7%, and shipments of electric surface cooking units fell 19.3%. Gas range shipments fell 14.8%, gas ovens fell 19.2%, and surface cooking units declined 15.7% year-over-year.
Dishwasher shipments fell by 11.9%, disposers fell by 4.5%, and shipments of trash compactors declined nearly 23%.
Similarly, food preservation showed an 8.6% decline in factory shipments, to more than 1 million units. Refrigerators were down 9.4% to 886,100 units, and upright freezers declined 8.3%.
In home laundry, washers fell 5.3% to approximately 953,500 units. Shipments of electric dryers declined 7.9% and gas dryers dropped 11.5%.
In home comfort, dehumidifier shipments were up 31.1%, while air-conditioner shipments were down 7%.