Think about household appliances, and your mind may go to the big-ticket items such as gleaming refrigerator/freezers, sleek stovetops and “smart” washer/dryers. The market for these large appliances is forecast to grow in coming years. And as manufacturers are incorporating more pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes in their designs, the opportunities for tape converters are growing as well.
But there are other categories of household appliances with their own opportunities for converters. We’re talking about smaller units that often are sleek and smart in their own right. These include small domestic appliances such as coffee/espresso makers, pressure cookers, air fryers and blenders; as well as compact versions of standard home appliances designed for apartments, extended-stay hotel rooms, RVs, mobile and manufactured homes, dorm rooms and other smaller living spaces.
Let’s get to know these appliance categories a bit better and discuss some of the ways you might leverage your PSA tape conversion expertise to meet manufacturers’ needs.
Small domestic appliances
The small domestic appliance segment includes a variety of items common to many households. These include air fryers, blenders, coffee makers, hair dryers, irons, microwave ovens, slow cookers, toasters and toaster ovens, vacuum cleaners, and more.
People want convenience, and this industry is delivering. According to Statista, this market is valued at $254 billion globally in 2024, and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 4.63% from 2024 through 2029.
Small appliances also deliver opportunities for PSA tapes. Applications include:
Bonding and assembly
Gaskets and filters
Secure/protect parts during transport
PSA tapes’ ease of use is particularly crucial on many assembly lines. And by adding durability and protection during transport, tapes can help manufacturers reduce warranty and other customer service issues.
Compact appliances
Apartment dwellers, RVers and owners of manufactured and mobile homes naturally want to enjoy the convenience and features of modern appliances. Compact versions of those appliances make this possible while making efficient use of space.
Major manufacturers such as Bosch®, Frigidaire®, GE® and Whirlpool® offer compact appliances. But the market is also served by brands you may be less familiar with, including Norcold®, Furrion® and Danby®. It’s difficult to find market forecast data specific to compact appliances. But as efficient living spaces continue to be a trend, it’s reasonable to expect demand for these appliances to grow in coming years.
PSA applications are similar to those for full-size appliances, including:
Exterior and interior mounting of parts, trims, and branding
Interior and exterior bonding
Adhering materials for noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) mitigation
Adhering materials for heat dissipation
As with the small appliance category, the ease of use offered by PSA tapes is often crucial during assembly. And tapes’ durability and utility as a bonding solution for NVH and heat dissipation materials can help enhance an item’s quality and longevity.
The opportunity for PSA tape converters
It may be common to assume appliances are all made overseas. But that’s often not the case. Well-known companies such as Amana®, Whirlpool®, KitchenAid®, Maytag® and Vitamix® do manufacture at least some products in the U.S. Norcold®, which focuses on refrigerators for RVs, manufactures in the U.S. as well. And as more companies want to reap the benefits of moving their manufacturing back to North America, we can expect more appliance manufacturing to happen stateside.
This means the small and compact appliance industry is very accessible to those of us operating in North America. And as more appliance manufacturers look to expand their products’ ease of assembly, durability, and fit and finish, they’ll become an increasingly attractive growth opportunity for tape converters and companies such as Avery Dennison.
Put another way: Avery Dennison wants to help you grow in the small domestic and compact appliance industry. Our Appliance Portfolio offers the PSA technology the industry needs. We seek partner tape converters who offer expertise and production capabilities, and who are equally interested in growing profitably in this space.
Let’s talk about smaller appliances and PSAs
Smaller appliances mean big opportunities for PSAs, and we welcome the opportunity to discuss how we can work together to grow. Please contact me directly with the contact information listed below, or contact your Avery Dennison account manager.
Danielle Wiltrout is a product manager with Avery Dennison Performance Tapes. With more than 10 years industrial experience, she’s responsible for many general industrial product lines, including the Appliance segment. To learn more about Avery Dennison’s initiative in the segment you can reach her via email at danielle.wiltrout@averydennison.com or on LinkedIn.