Whirlpool Corporation facts for kids
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Logo since 2016
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| Public | |
| Traded as |
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| Industry | Home appliances |
| Founded | November 11, 1911 in Benton Harbor, Michigan, U.S. |
| Founders | Louis and Emory Upton |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Marc Bitzer (Chairman and CEO) |
| Products | Major appliances and small appliances |
| Revenue |  US$19.45 billion (2023) |
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Operating income
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 US$916 million (2023) |
| US$481 million (2023) |
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| Total assets | US$17.31 billion (2023) |
| Total equity | US$2.36 billion (2023) |
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Number of employees
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≈ 59,000 (December 2023) |
| Footnotes / references Financials as of December 31, 2022[update]. |
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Whirlpool Corporation is a big American company that makes and sells home appliances. These are things like washing machines, refrigerators, and ovens. Its main office is in Benton Charter Township, Michigan, in the United States.
In 2023, Whirlpool made about $19 billion in sales. The company has around 59,000 employees all over the world. They also have more than 55 factories and research centers globally.
Whirlpool sells products under its own name and many other well-known brands. Some of these brands include Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana, and Hotpoint (in Europe). In the U.S., Whirlpool has eleven factories. These factories employ about 15,000 workers.
Contents
Whirlpool's Journey: From Washing Machines to Global Appliances
How Whirlpool Started and Grew
On November 11, 1911, two relatives, Louis Upton and his uncle Emory Upton, started a company. Louis was an insurance salesman, and Emory owned a machine shop. They called their new business the Upton Machine Company.
Louis had an idea for a manual clothes washer. He asked Emory if they could add an electric motor to it. With $5,000 from a business friend named Lowell Bassford, they began making electric washing machines. Soon after, Louis's younger brother, Fred, joined the company.
Their first big customer was Federal Electric. They ordered 100 washing machines. But there was a problem with the gears, and the customer wanted to return them. The Uptons fixed the machines, and Federal Electric then ordered twice as many! They were a customer for three years.
After Federal Electric started making their own washers, the Upton company needed new customers. In 1916, they started working with Sears, Roebuck & Co., a large store. Sears sold two types of Upton washing machines. Sales grew fast, and by 1921, Upton was Sears' only washer supplier. To avoid relying too much on Sears, Upton also started selling washers under their own brand name.
In 1929, the Upton company joined with another company called Nineteen Hundred Washer Company. They changed their name to Nineteen Hundred Corporation. The company did well even during the Great Depression. During World War II, their factories made weapons instead of appliances.
In 1947, they introduced a new automatic washer. Sears sold it under the "Kenmore" name. A year later, the company sold it under the "Whirlpool" brand name. In 1949, Louis Upton retired, and Elisha "Bud" Gray II became the new president.
After the war, people wanted more convenient products for their homes. The company started making many different laundry products. These included washers, dryers, and irons. In 1949, the company officially changed its name to Whirlpool Corporation. In 1951, they started the Whirlpool Foundation, which helps good causes.
Expanding with New Products and Brands (1950s-1980s)
To compete better, Whirlpool bought other companies. In 1955, they bought Seeger Refrigerator Company. They also bought RCA's air conditioner and cooking range products. The company then used the name Whirlpool-Seeger Corporation and the brand RCA-Whirlpool.
In 1956, Whirlpool opened a large office center in Benton Harbor, Michigan. In 1957, they showed off the RCA Whirlpool Miracle Kitchen on TV. Millions of people watched it. The company soon changed its name back to Whirlpool Corporation.
In 1966, Whirlpool stopped using the RCA name. Their products were then just called Whirlpool. The next year, they started a 24-hour helpline for customers. Also in 1966, Whirlpool bought Warwick Electronics, which made TVs for Sears. They also got the Thomas Organ Company. Whirlpool stopped making TVs in 1976. By 1978, the company's yearly sales were over $2 billion.
In 1986, Whirlpool bought KitchenAid, a company known for its kitchen appliances.
Becoming a Global Company (1980s-2000s)
In 1987, Whirlpool started selling small washing machines in India. They also bought most of Inglis, a company in Canada. In 1988, Whirlpool bought a large part of Philips N.V.'s appliance business. This created a new company called Whirlpool International. This made Whirlpool the biggest maker of major appliances in the world. Their yearly sales were about $6 billion. In 1991, Whirlpool bought the rest of Philips' share. In 1989, Whirlpool also bought the Roper brand and Bauknecht from Germany.
Whirlpool entered the Indian market in the late 1980s. They started a joint company with TVS Group. Their first factory in India was in Puducherry, where they made washing machines. In 1995, Whirlpool bought Kelvinator India Limited. This meant they also started making refrigerators there. In 1996, these companies joined to become Whirlpool of India Limited. This expanded their products in India to include washing machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, and air conditioners.
In 1997, the company bought most of Embraco, a Brazilian company that makes parts for refrigerators. In 2000, they bought Multibrás, a Brazilian appliance maker. Multibrás owned the popular brands Brastemp and Consul. In 2001, Inglis Ltd. in Canada changed its name to Whirlpool Canada. Whirlpool still sells Inglis appliances today.
Recent Growth and Changes (2000s-Present)
By 2004, Whirlpool's yearly sales were over $13 billion. In 2005, Whirlpool bought Maytag Corporation. This included brands like Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, and Hoover.
In 2007, Whirlpool sold Hoover to Techtronic Industries. They also closed some factories in Iowa, Arkansas, and Illinois. This meant about 4,500 jobs were lost. In 2008, Whirlpool announced more factory closures in Tennessee, Mexico, and Mississippi.
In 2009, Whirlpool bought WC Woods. They also closed their Evansville, Indiana, factory.
In 2011, Whirlpool celebrated its 100th birthday! They showed off a special logo for the anniversary. That same year, Whirlpool announced they would close their Fort Smith, Arkansas, plant. The next year, Whirlpool opened a new factory in Cleveland, Tennessee. This new factory makes high-quality cooking appliances. It also has a large distribution center.
In 2013, Whirlpool announced they would buy a large part of Hefei Royalstar Sanyo in China. This helped them grow in the Chinese appliance market.
In 2014, Whirlpool bought a big part of the Italian company Indesit. By December, Indesit became fully owned by Whirlpool.
In 2017, Whirlpool said it would cut about 500 jobs in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. This included closing a factory in Amiens, France. This decision became a topic in the 2017 French presidential election.
In October 2017, Whirlpool and Sears Holding Corp. ended their long partnership. This meant Whirlpool appliances would no longer be sold at Sears stores. The companies could not agree on prices. However, Whirlpool still makes Kenmore appliances for Sears.
In March 2020, Whirlpool opened a new factory distribution center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In November 2022, Whirlpool bought InSinkErator, a company that makes garbage disposals.
Whirlpool's Commitment to the Environment
Whirlpool Corporation cares about its impact on the environment. They measure their carbon footprint, which is the amount of greenhouse gases they release. In 2020, their total carbon emissions were 663 kilotonnes. Whirlpool plans to reach net zero emissions by 2030. This means they want to remove as much carbon from the air as they put into it.
| Dec 2015 | Dec 2016 | Dec 2017 | Dec 2018 | Dec 2019 | Dec 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 871 | 833 | 809 | 754 | 684 | 663 |
Whirlpool's Work with NASA
Whirlpool has even worked with NASA, the space agency! In 1962, Whirlpool's research labs got a contract from NASA. They were asked to create a food and waste system for the Project Gemini space missions.
Later, in 1968, Whirlpool developed freeze-dried ice cream for NASA's Apollo missions. This is the space ice cream you might have heard about!
In 2021, Whirlpool started working with NASA again. They teamed up with Purdue University and Air Squared. Together, they are developing a special refrigerator that works in zero gravity. This research helps NASA figure out how to store food for long space trips.
Main Brands by Whirlpool
Whirlpool makes appliances under many different brand names around the world. Here are some of their major brands:
- Acros (México)
- Affresh Washer Cleaners
- Amana
- Bauknecht
- Brastemp (Brazil)
- Challenger (Colombia)
- Consul (Brazil)
- Diqua (China)
- Estate
- EveryDrop
- Gladiator GarageWorks
- Hefei Sanyo (China)
- Hotpoint (Europe)
- Ignis
- Indesit
- Inglis (Canada and US)
- InSinkErator
- Jenn-Air
- KitchenAid
- Laden (France)
- Maytag
- Polar
- Privileg
- Roper
- Royalstar (China)
- Stinol
- True Fresh
- Whirlpool
- Yummly
Special Brands and Partnerships
Whirlpool also makes appliances for other companies and stores under special labels:
- Admiral-branded appliances are sold only at Home Depot.
- Crosley branded top-load washing machines are made for Crosley Appliances.
- Falabella branded appliances are made for Falabella stores in South America.
- FSP stands for Factory Specification Parts.
- IKEA branded appliances used to be made for IKEA in North America.
- Kenmore branded appliances were made for Sears.
