Companies that make home appliances, often known as "white goods," are going through a profound shake-up. Long-established firms with commanding leads in the market are being challenged by Asian companies. Small and medium-sized brands in the United States and Europe that don't aggressively invest in automation technology may soon find themselves left in the dust. 

To be competitive, home appliance makers need to partner with companies that specialize in providing automation solutions. In this article, we'll take a look at some of the factors impelling the adoption of automated manufacturing in the home appliance industry, and what some of the automation technologies include. And we'll examine Tri-Mation Industries, an automation provider. 

IoT Has Changed Home Appliances Dramatically 

The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized the home appliances market. In the past, US manufacturers of white goods relied on a tried-and-true formula that could be described as: design to last forever, produce at scale, and leave the selling to retail outlets. That formula is being challenged by innovative Asian challengers who have quickly risen to dominate the home appliance market with IoT features.

New home appliance features appeal to consumers - like having your clothes dryer send you a text when it's done, or ovens that store hundreds of recipes and can suggest ones based on the ingredients you have on hand.  And it knows what foodstuffs you have because the refrigerator is connected, too, and it keeps track. 

Suddenly, the relatively slow-moving world of white goods has been catapulted into the future.

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