All-In-One Innovative Washer Technology

Last year, a California company hired us to bring to market a new All-In- One laundry technology they had developed for approximately three years.

We were chosen as consultants for this project because our combined experience of over 35 years in the global appliance business made us ideally suited to take this project to the next phase. While working for companies such as Whirlpool and Maytag we specialized in marketing, R&D, engineering, product development and market launch for numerous projects worldwide.

We were very interested to work on this project because we quickly realized that this new innovation has the potential to bring a radical shift in the laundry industry worldwide and change how washing machines are built in the future, while bringing unique consumer benefits versus current washers and washer-dryer combos.

From the manufacturer side, this new washing and drying technology could bring significant advantages:

1. Innovative concepts that are equally adaptable for washers and washer-dryer combos
2. Significantly reduced development time
3. Reduced manufacturing costs
4. Higher product quality and reliability
5. Reduced overall tooling investments
6. Products that can easily be scalable according to market needs worldwide

From the consumer side, this truly disruptive technology can bring numerous benefits for consumers:

1. Largest washing and drying capacity in standard-size cabinets
2. True “load and forget” peace of mind. The washer-dryer combo can wash and dry without any required consumer intervention (i.e. load and unload clothes to complete both washing and drying cycles)
3. 50% less overall washing and drying time compared to the leading washers and dryers on the market today.
4. Significantly reduced noise and vibration
5. More environmentally-friendly washers and washer-dryer combos
6. Significant space saving

While working on this project, it became apparent to us that appliance companies need to invest in new and disruptive innovations to avoid being caught in a never-ending price spiral that could cripple many competitors worldwide.

This price pressure will undoubtedly result in an attrition of well-known companies and brands that continuously reduce their R&D investments in their efforts to reduce costs. However, companies that strive to bring new and disruptive innovations adapted to their various brands and price points can break this “vicious circle” and effectively compete against appliance conglomerates coming from Asia. By enriching their development pipeline with new and innovative features these winning companies could truly revolutionize the appliance industry and avoid the commodity trap that has plagued this sector for decades.

Jacques Chouchane
[email protected]

Marco Poma
[email protected]