AHAM History

AHAM was built by manufacturers who understood that growth, collaboration and a unified voice were the foundations of progress. The association’s roots date back to 1915, when 60 clothes washer manufacturers formed the American Washing Machine Manufacturers Association (AWMMA). Soon thereafter, in the mid-1920s, manufacturers of other home appliances formed the consumer products section of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). 

AWMMA became the American Washer and Ironer Manufacturers Association in 1938, and the American Home Laundry Manufacturers' Association (AHLMA) in 1954, expanding its membership to include the majority of manufacturers in the laundry equipment industry. AHLMA grew to meet the industry’s needs, launching an educational conference, adding a statistics department, initiating promotional programs and developing voluntary standard test methods for measuring appliance performance characteristics. 

In 1967, companies with mutual membership in both AHLMA and NEMA's Consumer Products Division merged to form a new trade association, AHAM, bringing together manufacturers with similar technical, manufacturing and marketing characteristics.  

As its influence grew, AHAM moved its headquarters to Washington, D.C. from Chicago in 1999 to be closer to the federal government and other stakeholders. Membership broadened again in 2003 when the Vacuum Cleaner Manufacturers Association (VCMA) was welcomed into AHAM’s manufacturing membership. In 2012, the opening of the AHAM Canada office gave the association a permanent presence outside U.S. borders and more integrated services for manufacturers across North America. 

Reflecting the industry’s evolving needs, AHAM eliminated its divisional structure in 2026 in favor of a more integrated approach that focuses on the full strength of the home appliance industry. 

Today, AHAM continues to proudly serves an industry that drives than $200 billion in economic impact and supplies more than a million jobs across the U.S. and Canada, delivering products integral to life in every home, every day. 

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