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Duet a hit for WhirlpoolIn times of economic downturn, conventional wisdom saysthat low-priced goods should fare better.

Not so, say a number of U.S. manufacturers and retailers,including Whirlpool Corp. of Benton Harbor, Michigan.

The company reports that sales of its high-priced Duetwashers and dryers, introduced in October 2001 with a pricetag of $2,200 for the pair, have been nearly double the fore-casts. The machines feature 12 different wash cycles, bluetrim, and capacity for 22 towels. They also cost roughly threetimes the price of Whirlpool’s midrange appliances, whichhave experienced flat sales.

The trend is apparent in other industries, according to theMarch 29, 2002, Wall Street Journal. U.S. consumers whoonce settled for midpriced consumer goods apparently arenow willing to pay for premium and luxury goods such ascars and electronics.

Maytag Corp. of Newton, Iowa, one of Whirlpool’s pri-mary competitors in the United States, had stronger thanexpected major appliance sales during the first two months of2002 but would not specify “what particular price pointshave shown strength,” according to Jim Powell of theMaytag Communications Department.

Will the trend generalize to India?Sweden’s Electrolux Group apparently hoped so when it

introduced the world’s first talking washing machine, theWashy Talky, in April. A company press release says themachine talks the user through the washing process. A sam-ple instruction: “drop detergent, close lid, and relax.”

The machine costs 18,000 rupees ($374), which is almosttwice the price of Electrolux’s nonspeaking machines.

Japan’s Lion announcesodor-resistant detergentLion Corporation of Japan has developed a detergentdesigned to eliminate any odors that might occur when laun-dry is air-dried indoors. Such odors may be caused by oxida-tion of protein stains and during bacterial decomposition ofprotein stains, the firm said. Protein stains cause skin lipids,particles, and bacteria to coagulate on fiber. The firm says itsnew detergent includes a specific enzyme that avoids forma-tion of such odors by decomposing protein compounds in thefabrics as they are washed.

JSDA surveys Japanese on laundry habits and cleaning

Two recent surveys by the Japan Soap and DetergentAssociation (JSDA) have found that laundry and hygiene

habits appear to have changed among Japanese homemakersand single women.

• Washing machine capacities have risen from 4.2 kg to6.0 kg. Despite the increase in size, there has been no trendtoward a drop in the number of wash days, possibly becauseof lack of space to hang out a larger wash and a resistance toallowing laundry to collect.

• The volume of washing has increased about 1.3 timesper occasion.

• The average water/wash load ratio is continuing tochange, with an average of 19.8:1 in 2000 vs. an average of16.8:1 in 1991.

• The actual amount of detergent used per volume ofwater was 1.24 times the standard concentration suggested,although the amount of detergent used per volume of laun-dry—at 1.04 times the standard concentration—remainedvirtually unchanged.

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“It appears that as washing effectiveness drops alongwith the decrease in the water/wash load ratio, users areresponding by increasing the amount of detergent,” JSDAsaid.

• Japanese homemakers and single women appear to havea lower awareness of the need to wash their hands, as well asa lower awareness of measures that should be taken to pre-vent food poisoning, than respondents to a previous hygienesurvey in 1997. Nonetheless, antibacterial products havegained in popularity in Japan, JSDA says.

• The most popular antibacterial product was liquidkitchen detergent, which was used by more than 50% of thesingle women and 70% of the homemakers surveyed.

The survey on current trends in laundering was con-ducted in May 2000 by the Special Committee on LaundryScience with 300 homemakers aged 20 to 59 who had pur-chased an automatic washing machine in the past fiveyears. The 43rd Cleaning Survey on Hygiene Awarenessand Behavior polled 100 homemakers and single women.Both surveys were discussed in the February 2002 issue ofJapan SDA News.

Personal care products,hair-coloring, see market riseAging baby boomers are changing the face of the personal

care market, according to Kline & Co., a market researchfirm based in Little Falls, New Jersey.

Annual consumption of personal care products hasincreased to 40.5 packages per person in 2000, from 38.4packages per person in 1990, according to DemographicSeries for the Personal Care Industry. One of the highestgrowth rates was seen by hair-coloring products, with U.S.consumers on average using 70% more such products perperson in 2000 than in 1990.

Categories that saw stagnant or declining growth per cap-ita usage, according to Kline, included fragrances, nail-careproducts, and bar and liquid soaps.

The full report is available for $3,000 from Kline & Co.(phone: 973-435-3407; fax: 973-435-6291; e-mail:lenka_contreras@klinegroup.com; netlink: www.kline-group.com).

BriefHenkel KGaA of Düsseldorf, Germany, has become the firstcompany to enter the Iranian detergents market through itspurchase of a 60% ($18 million) stake in Pakvash, one ofIran’s top three detergents companies. Iran is the largest mar-ket in the Middle East, Henkel says, with 60 million cus-tomers. The company also has detergent plants in Egypt,Tunisia, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.❏

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Surfactants & Detergents News

The 5th World Conference onDetergents will feature nine sessionsand 40 presentations given in English,as well as volunteer posters and an exhi-bition of more than 50 companies.Subtitled “Reinventing the Industry:Opportunities and Challenges,” themeeting aims to project future trendsand discuss strategies for addressing thechallenges and opportunities in thedetergents industry.

The conference will be held Oct.13–17, 2002, at the MontreuxConvention Centre in Montreux,Switzerland. The keynote address,entitled “Reinventing the Industry: The

Why and the How,” will be presentedby Alan Lafley, president and CEO, TheProcter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati,Ohio. Co-sponsoring organizations arethe American Oil Chemists’ Society(AOCS); Comité Européen des Agentsde Surface et leurs IntermédiaresOrganiques (CESIO); InternationalAssociation of the Soap, Detergent, andMaintenance Products Industry (AISE);Japan Oil Chemists’ Society (JOCS);and The Soap and DetergentAssociation (SDA).

Below are the session titles, papertitles, and names of authors confirmedas of April 2002.

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5th World Conference on Detergents program announced

CHANGING THE GAME IN THE DETERGENTS INDUSTRY

Keith Grime, vice president, research and development, Fabric and Home Care,The Procter & Gamble Co., United States, will be the chairperson for the ses-sion, which will include the following topics:

Changing the Game: Playing Without a Ball or Net? R. Kugler, Unilever Homeand Personal Care Europe, Belgium

Changing the Game: New Business Models to Boost Innovation, J.-J. Baronnet,Rhodia, France

Getting the Dirt on Clean—What’s Underneath the Consumer’s “Top of Mind?”M. McNeely, Saatchi and Saatchi, United States.

THE CHANGING MARKETPLACE

Rodrigo Olmedo, Detertec, Ecuador; Thomas Mueller-Kirschbaum, HenkelKGaA, Germany; Peter Otto, CIBA Specialty Chemicals Inc., Switzerland;and Tsuneharu Mukaiyama, Lion Corp., Japan, will be co-chairpersons, withtopics to include:

The Changing Marketplace in Europe, F. Stara, Henkel CEE, AustriaThe Changing Marketplace in North America, K. Grime, The Procter &

Gamble Co., United StatesThe Changing Marketplace in Latin America/Africa, R. Davidson, Unilever

Brasil Ltda., BrazilThe Changing Marketplace in Asia—Developed Markets in Japan, Korea, and

Taiwan, M. Tsumadori, Kao Corp., JapanThe Changing Marketplace in Asia—Developing Markets in China, India, and

Southeast Asia, A. Weijberg, Hindustan Lever Ltd., India.

THE CHANGING FACE OF PUBLIC REGULATION FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS

Ernie Rosenberg, The Soap and Detergent Assoc., United States, is chairperson forthis session with the following topics:

Reinventing Strategies to Meet Regional and Global Challenges: Europe, M.Labberton, A.I.S.E., Belgium

Reinventing Strategies to Meet Regional and GlobalChallenges: Asia, T. Mukaiyama, Lion Corp., Japan

Reinventing Strategies to Meet Regional and GlobalChallenges: North America, E. Rosenberg, The Soapand Detergent Association, United States

The Impact of Environmental Concerns, EnergyRequirements, and Water Availability on theMarketplace, H.J. Klueppel, Henkel KGaA, Germany

World Summit on Sustainable Development: Industry’sRole in Changing Consumption and ProductionPatterns, B. de Leeuw, United Nations EnvironmentProgramme, France.

REVOLUTION IN RAW MATERIALS

Manfred Trautmann, Clariant GmbH, Germany, and JerryCollins, J.H. Collins Technology Consulting, UnitedStates, are co-chairpersons for a session that will include:

New Ingredients—A Challenge for Detergents of the 21stCentury, B. Middelhauve, Henkel KGaA, Germany

New Technologies for New Product Forms, H.J. Degen,BASF AG, Germany

Bleach or Not to Bleach—New Oxygen-Based BleachTechnology, G. Reinhardt, Clariant GmbH, Germany

Future Trends with Polymers in Detergency, C. Geffroy,Rhodia, France

Detergent Brand Building with Enzymes, H. Meyer,Novozymes, United States

Multifaceted Products—The Changing Face of Rinse andDryer Cycle Products, F. Zouras, Akzo Nobel SurfaceChemistry LLC, United States

Enhancing Fragrance Performance, C.J. Mussinan,International Flavors & Fragrances, United States.

CHANGING ELEMENTS IN CONSUMER PRODUCTS

Jim Darwent, Unilever Research Port Sunlight, UnitedKingdom, is chairperson with topics to include:

The Changing Range of Nonlaundry Products, R. Ellis,Reckitt-Benckiser, United Kingdom

Trends in Globalization for Washing Machines, S.Fumagalli, Candy Elettrodomestici Srl, Italy

The Changing Arena of Cleaning Tools and Devices, N.Kermode, Procter & Gamble European Technical Care,Belgium

Challenges to Manufacturing and Distribution, S. Rodger,Unilever PLC, United Kindom.

EVOLUTION IN THE SURFACTANT’S ARENA

Wulf Ruback, Sasol Germany GmbH, Germany, andKarlheinz Hill, Cognis Deutschland GmbH, Germany,are co-chairpersons for a session that will include:

The Future of Surfactant Feedstocks, A. Putter, SasolOlefins and Surfactants, Germany

The Changing Paradigm in the Surfactants HydrophobeStructure, G. Baillely, The Procter & Gamble Co.,United States

New Surfactants for New Product Concepts, J.F. Hessel,Cognis Corp., United States.

REINVENTION OF ALLIED INDUSTRIES

Michael Crossin, Novozymes, United States, will be chairper-son with topics to include:

Cotton from All Aspects—“From Field to Consumer,”I. Livingston, United States

New High-Tech Textiles—New Benefits for Consumers,J.-G. Aguiriano, DuPont Textiles and Interiors,Switzerland

Fabric Color and Lifestyle Trends for Spring/Summer2004, J. Holbrook, Holbrook & Hailey, UnitedKingdom

Advances in Dry Cleaning Technology, T. Lagrange,International Committee on Textile Care, Belgium

The Professional Industrial and Institutional CleaningMarket—A Case History in the Benefits ofStandardization, G. Armstrong, DiverseyLever, TheNetherlands

The Latest in Product Packaging and Design, G. Leiner,Alpla, Austria.

DISRUPTING PARADIGMS IN THE DETERGENT INDUSTRY

Dale Steichen, Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry, Sweden, ischairperson for a session that will include:

The Thinking Machine . . . Smart Appliances and theConnected House, P. Ljunggren, e2 Home, Sweden

Formulation: Art, Wizardry, or Science, A.G. Schlijper,Accelrys Inc., United States

Drowning in Data but Thirsting for Knowledge, J. Larou,NovoDynamics Inc., United States

Smaller Is Better . . . Nanotechnology Is Disrupting theFuture, G. Jonschker, Nanogate Technologies GmbH,Germany

Speed Does It . . . Driving Discovery with High-Throughput Experimentation, I. Goldwasser, SymyxTechnologies Inc., United States

For Sale or Rent—Intellectual Capital . . . New Rules, NewOpportunities, C. DeBleser, yet2.com, United States.

For more information on the conference, contact AOCS, P.O.Box 3489, Champaign, IL 61826-3489 (phone: 217-359-2344; fax: 217-351-8091; e-mail: meetings@aocs.org;web: www.aocs.org/montreux.htm).❏

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Surfactants & Detergents News