The people-driven sector

Europe’s home appliance industry is delivering to Europe’s consumers, explains Paolo Falcioni.

By Paolo Falcioni

Paolo Falcioni is Director General of APPLiA

10 Jan 2017

What do home appliances actually do for Europeans? Beyond the obvious list of cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing and cooling day-to-day? What extra value to the European economy, society and environment do they generate?

Home Appliance Europe 2015-2016 is a first factual offering from CECED that attempts to answer these questions. Launched today (10th January 2017) by CECED President and Miele CEO Dr Reinhard Zinkann and MEP Brando Benifei, the report brings together in one handy and highly visual volume the essence of the sector’s value and contribution to Europe today.

In keeping with CECED’s vision and call for action, the report is broken down into four sections taken from its long-term Home Appliance 2025 vision and call for action: achieving smarter and better regulation, advancing sustainable lifestyles, making the connected home a reality and accelerating Europe’s economic growth.


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So… what do home appliances offer? Well… quite a lot when you look at the facts and stats. The sector provides important levels of growth, wealth and employment. Despite the rather disruptive economic and financial crisis that hit Europe from 2008 there are roughly 3,400 enterprises involved in home appliance manufacturing in Europe. The sector is generating roughly €44bn a year in turnover. It devotes over €1.4bn to research and development annually as well. €6.2bn in salaries goes out to over 200,000 individual employees that have quality jobs.

Innovation in appliances has enhanced sustainable lifestyles. The drive for greater energy efficiency has resulted with all cold appliances being classified beyond the original A class, first introduced in 1995. The same is true for 75% of dishwashers. Over 40% of washing machines are now to be found in the top category.

Appliances are adapting to change and new challenges as well. The market for smart, connected appliances has been recently expanding significantly, offering new opportunities as to the way appliances are used, maintained and manage energy. Both the number and value of smart appliance sales has risen significantly in the last couple of years: doubled for the former, tripled for the latter.

And the wealth, the benefits generated are remaining in Europe. Home appliance manufacturing is an important activity supporting Europe’s industrial base. Roughly three-quarters of units produced in the EU remain in the EU.

Most importantly of all the report shows that through its actions the home appliance industry is delivering to people, to consumers, to European citizens. Appliances are not just appliances: they aim at doing much, much more for all of us here in today’s Europe. We represent a people-orientated sector of the economy. And we hope to do more over the coming years.

Click to download the report

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