French doors, door-in-door storage, exterior door windows… today’s premium refrigerators have moved beyond barely-dressed ice boxes and coolers. The same goes for refrigerator interiors, which often require custom assemblies and sub-assemblies with premium shelving. Plastic shelves and bins just won’t cut it for discerning consumers seeking high-end aesthetics, as well as increased functionality and durability.… Read More
Today's OEM is tasked with meeting increased consumer demand for crafted appliance component options, from brushed nickel and oil-rubbed bronze cabinet hardware to copper refrigerator and oven handles. But for every unique OEM product, there are many time-to-market variables in play. Each product enhancement impacts delivery time and budget. Can this feature be incorporated efficiently… Read More
When it comes to delivering value to their discerning appliance customers, kitchen OEMs are tasked with providing metal designs that meet unique form and functional requirements. Manufacturing superior, quality metal handles can be challenging, especially if your base material is an aluminum extrusion. Fortunately for one global appliance manufacturer, Mills Products breathed new life into… Read More
It’s no secret that the kitchen is the centerpiece of the modern home. It’s the primary part of the house that a seller renovates before placing their home on the market to get the best asking price. It is the also the one area that people constantly remodel to bring up to date, to provide… Read More
There was a time when significant design changes in the automobile industry were made annually. Buyers were teased with “first look” photos months before each new model year. Today, change in auto design has become more “generational” with only slight modifications on an annual basis. The opposite may be happening in the major appliance industry… Read More
What do you look for in an ideal partner? A manufacturer with a bevy of processes at their disposal? What about a company that can work with OEMs and take parts — such as appliance and automotive handles — from concept to reality in a cost-effective manner? When sourcing the right handles manufacturing partner, versatility… Read More
Appliance manufacturers are always looking for ways to reduce costs for metal dishwasher, refrigerator and oven handles without sacrificing any fit, form, or function. Often, these cost-saving measures focus on the handle shaft. But another area that is ripe for cost-reduction and should not be neglected is the mounting methods used to attach metal handles to… Read More
Stainless steel handles are a desirable choice for appliance manufacturers since stainless steel is corrosion resistant, durable, easy to work with, and provides an attractive finish. If there is a downside to producing handles out of stainless steel, it is its relatively high materials cost. This makes manufacturing techniques that produce solid stainless steel products… Read More
Today, tubular hydroforming is not only an accepted way to produce metal appliance handles, it is often the preferred method. There are several reasons this simply make sense. For one, there are the production considerations: Hydroforming uses less material, produces parts that are lighter weight, and still maintains the stiffness and strength yielded by other, more traditional ways… Read More
As with any product development process, moving an appliance handle design from concept to production requires compromises. No matter how elegant the idea, if a handle design can't be manufactured at an acceptable cost, it's never going to see the showroom floor. Designers hate seeing their concepts altered as they make their way to the… Read More
