Whirlpool Corporation is a popular household name in the arena of laundry and kitchen electronics. Its top-class home appliances make life better at home. Through its iconic brand portfolio, which includes Whirlpool, Maytag, Amana KitchenAid, Consul, Brastemp, JennAir, Bauknecht, Yummly, and Indesit, the company is pushing intentional innovation to address the shifting requirements of customers in an increasingly digital age.
About The Company
Founded in 1911, Whirlpool Corporation is a leading American multinational company in the business of manufacturing and marketing home appliances. It is headquartered in Michigan, USA. The company’s most popular products include washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, dishwashers, cooking appliances, etc. It is a Fortune 500 company with having annual revenue of over 21$ billion. The company has over 70 manufacturing and tech research centers worldwide. The company operates in four segments: Asia, North America; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
History
Whirlpool Corporation was founded by Louis Upton and Emory Upton in 1911. It started under the name of Upton Machine Company. The company received its first big order for 100 washing machines from Federal Electric. However, a problem arose when there was a failure in gear transmission in all the machines. The company, however, replaced the faulty components with new cut-steel gear. Federal Electric doubled its purchase to 200 washing machines after being pleased with the startup company’s ethical business practices. They remained Upton’s customer for three years till they started producing their own washing machines. In 1916, Upton got another major customer, Sears Roebuck & Co. Sears sold two varieties of Upton’s washing machines under the brand name ‘Allen’. Soon Sears appointed the Upton company as its sole supplier of washing machines. Upton later started marketing its washing machines under its own brand name. In 1929, the company merged with the Nineteen Hundred Washer Company of New York and together formed Nineteen Hundred Corporation.
Despite the 1930s Great Depression, the corporation made investments in innovation and expanded into foreign markets. In 1947, the company debuted an automatic spinner-style washer that Sears sold under the “Kenmore” name. Later the company began selling it under the “Whirlpool” brand. In 1949 the company’s name was changed to Whirpool Corporation to help people recognize the company’s distinctive brand.
Whirlpool’s Entry Into India
In the late 1980s, Whirlpool Corporation debuted in the Indian market as a part of its goal of worldwide expansion. It constructed its first production plant in Puducherry, producing washing machines, in a joint partnership with the TVS Group. Whirlpool entered the refrigerator market when it bought Kelvinator India Limited in 1995. In the same year, the company bought significant stakes in the TVS joint venture. In 1996, the TVS and Kelvinator combined to become Whirlpool of India Limited. This increased the company’s product line in India to include air conditioners, microwave ovens, refrigerators and washing machines. With its main office in Gurgaon, Whirlpool India also has production plants in Pune, Puducherry, and Faridabad.
Founders – Louis Upton, Frederick, and Emory Upton
In 1908, the founder of Whirlpool Corporation, Louis Upton, invested in a company manufacturing household equipment. However, the business failed, and Upton, in return for his investment in the company, acquired the company’s patent on a manual washing machine. With the idea of adding an electric motor to this washing machine, he approached his uncle Emory Upton, an owner of the machine shop. With funding of $5000 from Lowell Bassford, the duo began the production of electric washing machines, which led to the establishment of Upton Machine Company in 1911. Later Louis’s younger brother Frederick also joined this company.
CEO – Marc Bitzer
In 2017, Marc Bitzer was named the CEO of Whirlpool Corporation. Later in 2019, he was also elected as the Chairman of the Board. He has been associated with Whirlpool since 1999 when he joined Whirlpool Europe as its vice-president. He has completed his MBA and Doctorate from the St. Gallen Graduate School of Business, Economics, and Law in Switzerland.
Whirlpool Corporation continues to be a popular choice in home electronics worldwide.
I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.