This week we’re taking a look at Whirlpool, one of our favorite brands to service. Whirlpool is best thought of like an octopus. Strange and complicated, but equally smart. The same can be said of Whirlpool. 

A Bit Of Their History 

They were started in 1911 by a former insurance salesman Louis Upton and his uncle Emory Upton. Louis partnered with his uncle to market and sold an electric motor-driven wringer washer. From there, the company grew and grew and grew. (Much like a certain famous storybook character’s heart.) After they began selling to Sears and Roebuck, they really took off. 

Some of the interesting things in the company’s history include: 

• In 1959 an entire house was built in Sokolniki Park Moscow for an example of what any American could afford. Whirlpool supplied all of the appliances within the kitchen of the house. The exhibition was meant to promote cultural understanding between both countries. The American exhibition was filled with devices that were both labor-saving and recreational that were meant to show off the fruits of the American market. The exhibition was toured by then Vice-President Nixon and the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. The kitchen, of all things, sparked a debate between the two men, which went back and forth between interpreters and was recorded via color videotape, something still new at the time. It was then broadcast in both companies.  (We even found some of the video footage if you’re interested!)

•  In 1962 Whirlpool’s research labs gained a contract from NASA to develop both the food and waste management systems for Project Gemini. 

• In January of 2017, Whirlpool made the announcement that it would cut roughly 500 jobs from its Europe, Middle East, and Africa dryer manufacturing unit by the end of 2018. This choice then caused the closure of their plant located in Amiens, France. This closure later became a significant issue in the 2017 French presidential election. Both Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen visited the workers who were on strike before the second round of voting. 

Who They’ve Bought

Remember how up above we compared Whirlpool to an octopus? Well, it perhaps should have been a squid due to numerical reasons, but the idea stays the same, and here’s why. 

Over their lifetime, Whirlpool has either bought, created, or purchased a majority stake in 17 different countries, focusing mainly on the North American and European markets. 

Saying they are a major player in the realm of appliances is an understatement.  

The companies they are involved with include 

• Maytag

• KitchenAid

• Jenn-Air

• Amana 

• Diqua

• Affresh

• Acros

• Yummly

• Privileg

• Polar

• Roper, 

• Stinol

• Indesit 

• Jade

• Magic Chef

• Admiral

• Hoover 

And that’s not even taking into account any we might have missed. (It’s possible. They have their fingers in many, many pies, under a variety of names.) 

Out of these, a few interesting notes can be pulled out. 

• Amama was the first to introduce a popular microwave model that was designed for home use. 

• Many of the companies that Whirlpool holds majority in are focused on sales within the European Union. 

• Consul is a brand that was started in Brazil by two auto repairmen. Thye were asked to fix a kerosene powered refrigerator and were utterly baffled. They had to completely disassemble and then reassemble it before they could figure out what had gone wrong. 

• When it was first founded, Inglis was a weapons manufacturing company. They built and supplied weapons to the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth military forces throughout WWII and for many years following it. 

• In 2010 Jenn-Aire relaunched themselves for the ultra-sophisticated market and brought out the first “no preheat’ ovens on the market. 

• KitchenAid dates back to the first commercially successful dishwasher, invented by the socialite Josephine Garis Cochran. The patent was purchased after her death by Hobart Manufacturing Company, who later introduced it to the public as the first KitchenAid dishwasher. 

• -May is Maytag month an annual promotion from the brand where shoppers are given up to $600 is given to shoppers on a prepaid debit card by mail with the purchase of select appliances. 

For And Against 

Unlike our post last month, Whirlpool isn’t as clear. Some people will go decades without having issues with their appliances. We’re not just talking about the appliances they bought in the 80s or 90s. Some people we spoke to purchased their fridges and washers in the 2000s, and they still love them. 

Other people can’t stand them. They say that they run too loud, that they have had nothing but problems with the brand and with their service reps. 

Our technicians love them because they’re some of the most straightforward to repair and they’re workhorses in the home. 

If you’re having issues with your Whirlpool or one of its associated brands, let us know! We’d be happy to help you find a way to fix whatever is wrong. 

What do you think about Whirlpool? Love them? Hate them? Let us know in the comments or over on our Facebook page.