Whirlpool Corporation facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Whirlpool Corporation

Type	Public
Traded as	NYSE: WHR S&P 400 component
Industry	Home appliances
Founded	November 11, 1911; 113 years ago (1911-11-11) in Benton Harbor, Michigan, U.S.
Founders	Emory and Louis Upton
Headquarters	Benton Harbor, Michigan , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Marc Bitzer (chairman & CEO)
Revenue	US$16.6 billion (2024)
Operating income	US$143 million (2024)
Net income	−US$323 million (2024)
Total assets	US$16.3 billion (2024)
Total equity	US$2.68 billion (2024)
Number of employees	44,000 (2024)

Whirlpool Corporation is a large American company that makes and sells home appliances. Its main office is in Benton Harbor, Michigan, in the United States. In 2023, Whirlpool made about $19 billion in sales. The company had around 59,000 employees and more than 55 factories and research centers around the world.

Whirlpool's most famous brand is "Whirlpool." They also own many other well-known brands like Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana, and Bauknecht. In the U.S., Whirlpool has eleven factories and employs about 15,000 people.

History of Whirlpool

How Whirlpool Started

On November 11, 1911, two relatives, Louis Upton and his uncle Emory Upton, started a company called Upton Machine Company. Louis was an insurance salesman, and Emory owned a machine shop. Louis had an idea for a clothes washer that used an electric motor.

With some money from a business friend, they began making electric washing machines. Soon, Louis's younger brother, Fred, joined them.

Their first customer ordered 100 machines. But there was a problem with the machines, so they had to fix them all. After the repairs, the customer ordered even more! This customer stayed with them for three years.

Later, Upton Machine Company started selling to Sears, Roebuck & Co., a very big store. Sears sold Upton's washing machines under their "Allen" brand. Sales grew fast, and by 1921, Upton was Sears' only supplier for washers. To avoid relying too much on Sears, Upton also started selling washers under their own brand name.

Becoming Whirlpool Corporation

In 1929, Upton Machine Company joined with another company and changed its 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 washing machine. It was sold by Sears as the "Kenmore" brand. A year later, the company sold the same machine under its own "Whirlpool" brand name.

In 1949, the company officially changed its name to Whirlpool Corporation. They also started a charity called the Whirlpool Foundation in 1951.

Growing with New Brands (1950s-1980s)

Whirlpool Corporation's Riverview Campus in Benton Harbor, Michigan

To become bigger, Whirlpool bought other companies. In 1955, they bought Seeger Refrigerator Company and some appliance lines from RCA. For a short time, the company was called Whirlpool-Seeger Corporation and used the "RCA-Whirlpool" brand.

In 1956, Whirlpool opened a large office building in Benton Harbor, Michigan. In 1957, they showed off the "RCA Whirlpool Miracle Kitchen" on TV. This kitchen even inspired a famous discussion between U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1959.

By 1966, Whirlpool stopped using the RCA name. They also started a 24-hour helpline for customers. In 1986, Whirlpool bought KitchenAid, a popular brand known for its mixers and other kitchen tools.

Expanding Around the World (1980s-2000s)

Whirlpool began to grow internationally. In 1987, they started selling washers in India and bought a large part of Inglis, a Canadian company. In 1988, Whirlpool bought a big share of Philips N.V.'s appliance business, creating a joint company called Whirlpool International. This made Whirlpool the world's largest maker of major appliances. They bought the rest of Philips' share in 1991.

Whirlpool also entered the Indian market more fully in the 1990s. They built factories and bought other Indian appliance companies. Today, Whirlpool of India Limited makes washing machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, and air conditioners.

In 1997, Whirlpool bought a majority share in Embraco, a Brazilian company that makes parts for refrigerators. In 2000, they bought Multibrás, another Brazilian appliance maker that owned popular brands like Brastemp and Consul.

Recent Growth and Changes (2000s-Present)

By 2004, Whirlpool's yearly sales were over $13 billion. In 2006, Whirlpool bought Maytag Corporation, which included brands like Maytag, Jenn-Air, and Amana. This made Whirlpool even bigger.

After this, Whirlpool sold some of the brands they acquired, like Hoover. They also closed some factories, which meant some jobs were lost. However, Whirlpool also opened new, modern factories, like one in Cleveland, Tennessee, in 2012. This new factory makes cooking appliances.

A Whirlpool employee creates appliances at the Cleveland, Tennessee, plant on Oct. 1, 2010.

In 2011, Whirlpool celebrated its 100th birthday!

Whirlpool continued to expand globally. In 2013, they bought a majority share in Hefei Royalstar Sanyo, a Chinese appliance company. In 2014, Whirlpool bought a large part of Indesit, an Italian appliance company, and later bought all of it.

In 2017, Whirlpool ended a very long partnership with Sears, which had lasted over 100 years. However, Whirlpool still makes Kenmore appliances for Sears.

In 2020, Whirlpool opened a new distribution center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2022, they bought InSinkErator, a company that makes garbage disposals.

In April 2024, Whirlpool Corporation and Arçelik A.Ş. (which owns the Beko brand) joined forces to create a new European appliance company called Beko Europe B.V. This new company is very large, with over 20,000 employees. It can make about 24 million home appliances each year. Arçelik owns 75% of Beko Europe, and Whirlpool owns 25%. This merger helps both companies combine their skills and reach more customers in Europe.

Whirlpool and NASA

Whirlpool has even worked with NASA, the space agency! In 1962, Whirlpool helped NASA create food and waste systems for the Project Gemini space missions.

Later, in 1968, Whirlpool developed freeze-dried ice cream for the Apollo missions. This is the "astronaut ice cream" you might have heard about!

More recently, in 2021, Whirlpool worked with NASA again. They developed a special refrigerator that works in zero gravity for long space trips. This helps astronauts store food for a long time in deep space.

Major Brands by Whirlpool

Whirlpool Corporation owns many different brands that make various home appliances. Here are some of them:

Specialty Brands

• Admiral appliances are sold only at Home Depot stores.
• Crosley washing machines are made for Crosley Appliances.
• Falabella appliances are made for Falabella stores in South America.
• Whirlpool also makes Kenmore appliances for Sears.