Home Appliance Industry Turnover Reaches $7 Billion

Home appliance industry turnover, including chinaware and crystal glassware, amounts to a maximum $7 billion, of which $2 billion are attributed to smuggling, says Abbas Hashemi, secretary of the Association of the Industries of Household Appliances of Iran. 
“During the 10 months to Jan. 19, Iran manufactured 1.7 million refrigerators, which indicate a 30% increase year-on-year. Washing machine production grew 53% to reach 880,000 and evaporative cooler production jumped 11.9% to hit 854,000 during the period. A total of 995,000 television sets were also produced during the 10-month period, registering a 44% rise compared with the corresponding period of last year. The growth in production of home appliances during the current Iranian year has been unprecedented in the past decade,” he was quoted as saying by IRIB News. 
Noting that the main challenge facing the industry is the lack of raw materials, the official said, “For instance, manufacturers of refrigerators and freezers need a thermoplastic polymer called ABS [Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene]. The Industries Ministry should provide raw materials in cooperation with petrochemical industry. Home appliance producer refused to sign an export contract because they were not confident that there would be sufficient inventory of petrochemical raw materials. The supply of steel sheets, copper and aluminum parts as well as the allocation of foreign currency for the purchase of essential imported parts are also challenging for the industry.”