The Household Appliances umbrella includes a wide variety of products, from the simple thermostat operated heating equipment (toasters, kettles, irons etc) to more sophisticated washing machines, fridges, ovens, house alarms, Heating, Ventilation and AC (HVAC) equipment etc.
Though new product development cycles are slower in this industry than in the IT or Telecommunication business, the rate of new products is rapidly increasing. High-tech is steadily becoming a must in the household appliances and even the simplest products are gradually replacing their thermostats with modern microprocessor controlled technologies.
As technology changes in household appliances the applicable safety and quality standards are also keeping the pace. More sophisticated technologies are matched by more complex approval requirements that keep manufacturers always on their toes.
The main regulatory compliance issues for the household electronics industry relate to Product Safety, EMC, Hazardous Substances and Performance/Reliability requirements.
