Whirlpool

History of Whirlpool Corporation

• On November 11 1911 Lewis Upton an insurance salesmand his uncle Emory Upton owned a machine shop and founded the Upton Machine Company.
• After the business failed Mr. Lou patented a manual washing machine.
• Contact Emory to see if an electric motor can be added to the design.
• With the help of a $5,000 investment from retail executive Lowell Bassford they started making electric juicers.
• Lou’s younger brother Fred joined the company shortly after its founding.
• Their first customer the Commonwealth Edison Electric Power Department ordered 100 of the machines but a transmission error caused the customer to threaten to return them.
• After recalling the machine Federal Electric doubled the order and fixed it.
• They remained customers for three years before starting to manufacture their own washing machines. Losses from the Federal Energy Company forced Upton to diversify until Sears and Roebuck went under in 1916.

Upton’s merger with the Washing Machine Company

• Sears began selling two Upton washers under the “Allen” brand one for $54.75 and the Deluxe for $95.
• Sales grew rapidly and in 1921 Sears appointed Upton as sole supplier of washing machines.
• To avoid becoming overly dependent on Sears Upton began selling washing machines under his own brand.
• Increased sales led Upton to merge with the 1900 Washing Machine Company of Binghamton New York. In 1929 the name 1900 Corporation was adopted.
• The company has been relatively unscathed by the big disappointments. During World War II its factories switched to weapons production. In 1947 the automatic tumbler washing machine sold by Sears under the “Kenmore” brand name was introduced.
• A year later it was sold by the company under the brand name “Whirlpool”. Lowe retired in 1949 and was succeeded by Elisha “Bud” Gray II.
• In response to post-war consumer demand for convenience products the company launched a range of household laundry products including wringers automatic washers dryers and irons.
• In 1950 Nineteen Hundred was renamed the Whirlpool Corporation. In 1951 the Whirlpool Foundation was created.

From the 1950s to the 1980s: Early Acquisitions

• To better compete with more diversified manufacturers Whirlpool acquired the Seeger refrigerator and the RCA line of air conditioners and stoves in 1955.
• The company changed its name to Whirlpool-Seeger Corporation and began using the RCA-Whirlpool brand name.
• Whirlpool Corporation acquired International Refrigeration of Evansville Indiana in 1955.
• In 1956 a 100-acre (0.40 km2) administrative center was opened in Benton Harbor Michigan.
• In 1957 the RCA Whirlpool Miracle Kitchen had an estimated 15 million television viewers.
• The company was renamed the Whirlpool Corporation and Robert Elton Brooker was named president.
• At the 1959 American National Exposition in Moscow’s Sokolniki Park Brooke led the whirlpool kitchen. The Whirlpool cuisine inspired a kitchen controversy between then-Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.
• In 1966 Whirlpool dropped the RCA name hence the Whirlpool brand name. The following year the company launched a 24-hour helpline. By 1978 annual revenue exceeded $2 billion.
• In 1966 Warwick Sears’ flagship television producer was acquired by Whirlpool Electronics. The division also includes Thomas Origen.
• Whirlpool Corporation exited the television market in 1976 with the sale of Sanyo Electronics Corporation to Japan. But it retained the members’ electronic technology business.
• In 1986 Kitchen Aid a division of Hobart Corporation was acquired by Whirlpool Corporation. It also announced that it would close most of its manufacturing facilities in the St. Joseph Michigan area by the end of 1988.

From the 1980s to the 2000s

In 1987 Whirlpool Corporation began selling built-in washing machines in Indiand acquired a majority stake in the Canadian company Inglis.

• international.
• The acquisition makes Whirlpool the world’s largest appliance maker with annual sales of nearly $6 billion. A 47% stake in Philips was purchased in 1991 completing the acquisition.
• In 1989 the Rubber brand was bought by Whirlpool Corporation and Buknecht Germany.
• Whirlpool entered the Indian market in the late 1980’s as part of its global expansion strategy.
• Formed joint venture with TVS Group and set up first Whirlpool manufacturing facility in Pondicherry to manufacture washing machines.
• In 1995 Kelvinator was acquired by Whirlpool India Limited marking its entry into the refrigerator market as well.
• In the same year the company acquired a major stake in the TVS joint venture and in 1996 merged Kelvinator and TVS to create Whirlpool of India Limited.

Whirlpool’s international expansion

• This expands the company’s product portfolio in the Indian subcontinent to include washing machines refrigerators microwave ovens and air conditioners.
• Whirlpool India Limited is headquartered in Gurgaon and has three manufacturing plants in Faridabad Pondicherry and Pune.
• In 1997 the company acquired a majority stake in Embraco a Brazilian manufacturer of refrigeration compressors.
• In 2000 it acquired Brazilian hardware manufacturer Multibrás which owns the Brastemp and Consul brands including its stake in Embraco.
• In 2001 Inglis Ltd.
• Its name is Whirlpool Canada. Whirlpool Corporation still sells Inglis hardware today.

2000–present: growth and end

• By 2004 annual revenue exceeded $13 billion. In 2005 Maytag shareholders voted to purchase shares of the Whirlpool Corporation.
• After the US Department of Justice approved the merger in 2006 the company acquired Maytag. Including brands Maytag Jane Eyre Amana Jade Magic Chef Admiral Hofro and Dixie Narco. Dixie-Narco sold to the Crane Company the AGA’s trade secretariat.
• In 2007 Whirlpool Corporation sold Hoover to Tektronic Industries and TTI Floorcare and Jade Appliances to Middleby Corporation.
• Plants in Newton Iowa Searcy Arkansas and Heron Illinois also closed resulting in the loss of 4,500 jobs in the affected communities.
• In 2008 Whirlpool announced the closure of its facilities in La Virgin Tennessee Reynosa Mexico Oxford Mississippi and Jackson Tennessee.

W.C Woods has been acquired by Whirlpool

• In 2009 Whirlpool acquired WC Woods from bankruptcy and closed the company’s factory in Evansville Indiana.
• In 2011 Whirlpool celebrated its 100th anniversary by unveiling its Centenary logo and an updated corporate logo.
• It also acquired the former KarstadtQuelle brand from franchisee Otto GmbH.
• In 2011 Whirlpool announced the closure of its Fort Smith Arkansas plant.
• The following year Whirlpool opened a factory in Cleveland Tennessee to replace the 123-year-old factory.
• The $200 million project added about 130 jobs to a stable of 1,500 employees.
• The 1 million square foot (93,000 square metre) facility produces premium cookware for the Whirlpool family of brands.
• In August 2013 Zachary Guinter – President of Whirlpool Corporation – Interim CEO of Whirlpool Corporation announced in 2013

Acquisition of Hefei Royalstar Sanyo

• It will acquire a 51% majority stake in China’s Hefei Royalstar Sanyo (a joint venture with Japan’s Sanyo Electric Corporation now a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation) and Hefei’s state-owned Asset Holdings the investment arm of the local government) for $552 million. This allows the company to expand into the Chinese hardware market.
• In July 2014 Whirlpool announced that it would pay 758 million euros ($1 billion) for a 60 percent stake in its Italian rival.
• In December Whirlpool successfully completed the mandatory tender offer for the remaining shares and delisted Indesit from the Milan Stock Exchange.
• Indesit is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Whirlpool Italia Holdings S.r.l
• In January 2017 the Whirlpool Corporation announced. It will cut about 500 jobs by 2018 from its dryer manufacturing division in Europe the Middle East and Africa.
• The decision mandated the closure of factories in Amiens France which became an issue in the 2017 French presidential election when Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron visited striking workers before the second round of voting.

Whirlpool Corporation

• In October 2017 it was reported that Whirlpool Corporation and retailer Sears Holdings Inc. They ended their 101-year alliance that allowed Whirlpool-branded appliances to be sold at Sears stores and later at Kmart.
• The two companies were reportedly unable to reach an agreement on pricing. Whirlpool will continue to supply Kenmore appliances to Sears.
• In March 2020 Whirlpool Corporation announced the official opening of a new factory distribution center in Tulsa Oklahoma.
• All local and international hardware companies strive to reach the highest levels of confidence and efficiency in the eyes of customers. That is why companies compete in this field by highlighting the quality of their services and advantages provided by the company to all their customers
• One of the most important services that companies seek to highlight their quality is the maintenance service. However it is the most important and most important service that easily gains customer confidence as it is the service that the customer cannot do without throughout the period of using the device
• Whirlpool provides the best maintenance services on its devices. This guaranteed by many customers and below we will take a broader idea of ​​what Whirlpool offers in its official maintenance centers and here are the details.