Whirlpool Corporation is an American company that makes and sells home appliances worldwide. It is based in Benton Charter Township, Michigan, United States. In 2023, the Fortune 500 company earned about $19 billion each year, had around 59,000 workers, and operated more than 55 manufacturing and research centers in countries around the world.

The company’s main brand, Whirlpool, is sold together with other brands such as Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana, Gladiator GarageWorks, Inglis, Estate, Brastemp, Bauknecht, InSinkErator, and Consul.

In the United States, Whirlpool operates 11 factories that employ approximately 15,000 workers.

History

On November 11, 1911, Louis Upton (1886–1952), who worked as an insurance salesman, and his uncle, Emory Upton, who owned a machine shop, founded the Upton Machine Company. After a business failure, Louis obtained a patent for a hand-powered clothes washer. He asked his uncle if they could add an electric motor to the design. With help from a $5,000 investment by retail executive Lowell Bassford, they began making electric motor-driven wringer washers. Soon after the company started, Louis’s younger brother Fred joined the business.

Their first customer, the Federal Electric division of Commonwealth Edison, ordered 100 machines, but a problem with the gears caused the customer to threaten returning the machines. After fixing the issue, Federal Electric doubled their order. They remained a customer for three years, then began making their own washers. Losing Federal Electric forced Upton to expand its product lines until 1916, when Sears, Roebuck & Co. became a customer. Sears sold two types of Upton wringer washers under the "Allen" brand, one for $54.75 and a deluxe model for $95. Sales grew quickly, and in 1921, Sears named Upton its sole washer supplier. To avoid depending too much on Sears, Upton began selling washers under its own brand.

Increasing sales led Upton to merge with the Nineteen Hundred Washer Company of Binghamton, New York, in 1929, changing its name to Nineteen Hundred Corporation. The company was not greatly affected by the Great Depression. During World War II, its factories were converted to make military equipment. In 1947, the company introduced an automatic, spinner-type washer sold by Sears under the "Kenmore" brand. A year later, it was sold by the company under the "Whirlpool" brand name. Louis retired as president in 1949 and was replaced by Elisha "Bud" Gray II.

To meet post-war demand for convenient home products, the company began selling wringer and automatic washers, dryers, and irons. In 1949, the Nineteen Hundred Corporation was renamed the Whirlpool Corporation. In 1951, the Whirlpool Foundation was created to support charitable efforts.

To compete with larger companies, Whirlpool bought Seeger Refrigerator Company and RCA’s air conditioner and cooking range lines in 1955. The company changed its name to Whirlpool-Seeger Corporation and used the RCA-Whirlpool brand name. In 1955, Whirlpool acquired International Harvester’s refrigeration plant in Evansville, Indiana. In 1956, a 100-acre administrative center was opened in Benton Harbor, Michigan. In 1957, the RCA Whirlpool Miracle Kitchen was introduced, seen by about 15 million television viewers. The company changed its name back to Whirlpool Corporation and hired Robert Elton Brooker as president. Brooker led the Whirlpool kitchen display at the 1959 American National Exhibition in Moscow, which inspired the Kitchen Debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.

In 1966, Whirlpool removed the RCA name, and the brand became known as Whirlpool. The same year, the company introduced a 24-hour customer helpline. In 1966, Whirlpool bought Warwick Electronics, a major television producer for Sears, including the Thomas Organ Company division. Whirlpool left the television market in 1976 by selling operations to Japan’s Sanyo Electronic Co., but kept the organ business for its technology. By 1978, the company’s yearly sales reached over $2 billion.

In 1986, Whirlpool bought KitchenAid, a division of the Hobart Corporation. It also announced plans to close most of its manufacturing plants in St. Joseph, Michigan, by 1988.

In 1987, Whirlpool began selling compact washers in India and bought a majority share in Inglis of Canada. In 1988, Whirlpool purchased a 53% stake in the large-appliance division of Philips N.V., creating a joint venture called Whirlpool International. This made Whirlpool the world’s largest major appliance maker, with about $6 billion in annual sales. In 1991, Whirlpool bought the remaining 47% of Philips’s stake, completing

Carbon footprint

Whirlpool Corporation reported total greenhouse gas emissions (direct and indirect) for the twelve months ending December 31, 2020, at 663 kilotons, which is a decrease of 21 kilotons, or 3.1%, compared to the previous year. The company is working to achieve net zero emissions by the year 2030.

NASA partnership

In 1962, the company's research laboratories received a contract from NASA to create the food and waste management system for Project Gemini. In 1968, the company made freeze-dried ice cream for NASA's Apollo missions under a contract. In 2021, the company worked with NASA's Johnson Space Center on the Advanced Exploration Systems Logistics Reduction and Repurposing project. They partnered with Purdue University and Air Squared to design a zero-gravity refrigerator. This refrigerator was created to study long-term food storage for deep space exploration.

Dryer fire scandal

According to The Guardian newspaper, Whirlpool Corporation faced many problems in the UK because it did not recall faulty products that caused deadly fires. In October 2014, two people died in a fire at a flat in Llanrwst, North Wales. The coroner said the fire was most likely caused by an electrical problem with the door switch on a dryer. The coroner called the evidence given by Whirlpool during the inquest “uncooperative and not helpful” and said the company’s actions made it harder to find ways to stop future fires.

In 2015, safety warnings on the Indesit and Hotpoint websites said that in rare cases, extra fluff from clothes could touch the heating element in tumble dryers and cause fires. Dryers sold under the brands Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Swan, and Proline between April 2004 and September 2015 had a fire risk. About 5.3 million of these dryers were sold in the UK during that time. Even after several fires were linked to these faulty dryers, Whirlpool told customers it was safe to use the machines as long as they were not left unattended. However, the company did not issue a product recall. Whirlpool offered to repair or replace the faulty machines for £99, but this was criticized by consumer groups and the press. Parliament discussed problems with fixing or replacing faulty machines, including long wait times and poor service.

On August 19, 2016, a fire started on the seventh floor of an 18-story building in Shepherd’s Bush Green. Hundreds of residents were evacuated. The London Fire Brigade said 20 fire engines and 120 firefighters responded to the fire, which was controlled by 5:30 p.m. The fire began when smoke came out of a tumble dryer, and it was later confirmed to have been caused by a faulty Indesit-branded Whirlpool dryer. At the time, Whirlpool told customers they could continue using their dryers but should not leave them unattended. The company still did not issue a product recall.

On August 26, 2016, the London Fire Brigade asked the public to stop using the faulty dryers immediately. It also urged Whirlpool to change its advice and promote a product recall. Similar advice was given by Which? and the “Expect It’s Safe” campaign, which was started by lawyers representing fire victims.

In September 2016, Andy Slaughter, the MP for Hammersmith, said the government had failed to stand up to the powerful industry group that represents white goods manufacturers. He urged the government to tell Whirlpool and other companies to change their advice and recall faulty appliances. Slaughter said he had found evidence of 750 fires caused by Whirlpool dryers and other brands owned by Whirlpool between 2004 and 2015. He said Whirlpool had not shared a full list of the 127 affected models.

In the same month, after an investigation into the Shepherd’s Bush fire confirmed the faulty dryer was the cause of the fire and other fires across the UK, pressure grew on Whirlpool and the government to act. Dave Brown, the London Fire Brigade’s director of operations, said, “This fire has shown how dangerous faulty white goods can be. Unfortunately, Whirlpool has not changed its advice to consumers. We are asking them again to update their advice to match ours.”

In October 2016, Margot James, the UK’s consumer minister, said, “Customer safety must be the top priority for manufacturers. I know Whirlpool is working to fix and replace at-risk machines, but more action is needed to reassure the public. I will write to the company to share my concerns.”

In December 2016, Which?, the UK’s largest customer advocacy group, said it would seek a judicial review of Peterborough Trading Standards, the agency responsible for handling the faulty dryers sold by Whirlpool. Which? called the handling of the issue a “fiasco” and said the agency had failed millions of consumers by not enforcing product safety laws. Peterborough City Council had been dealing with Whirlpool because its UK headquarters is in the city. This move was unusual because it was the first time Which? had taken legal action against trading standards.

Leon Livermore, the CEO of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, criticized Whirlpool for not recalling the faulty dryers but defended Peterborough Trading Standards, saying, “The system has been overwhelmed by the size of this problem, and it’s unfair to blame a local authority for a national issue.”

A council spokesman said an independent review was underway and that the company would follow its outcome. The council said it would defend its position if Which? was granted a judicial review and called the action premature.

On February 22, 2017, Whirlpool received two enforcement notices from Peterborough Trading Standards after an internal review. Fifteen months after advising customers to use the faulty dryers only when supervised, Whirlpool was required to tell customers to unplug the appliances and stop using them until they were repaired. Whirlpool also had to share this new advice through advertisements in newspapers, social media, and stores. The enforcement notices were issued on January 16, 2017, but Whirlpool rejected them and appealed. The appeal was denied, and the company was warned it could be taken to court if it did not comply. According to The Guardian, this action followed an increase in incidents caused by the faulty machines.

On April 25, 2018, BBC One’s consumer show Watchdog reported that some tumble dryers that had been fixed by Whirlpool were still catching fire. The show also said newer models, which Whirlpool claimed were safe, had the same flaws as older models. Whirlpool did not send a representative to address these claims on the show.

On December 17, 2019, Whirlpool announced a recall of over 500,000 Hotpoint- and Indesit-branded washing machines and tumble dryers.

Major brands

• Admiral-branded appliances are sold only at Home Depot. The brand was also sold at Montgomery Ward stores before the company closed in 2001.
• Crosley-branded top-load washing machines are made for Crosley Appliances.
• Falabella-branded appliances are made for Falabella (available only in South America).
• FSP stands for Factory Specification Parts.
• IKEA-branded appliances are made for IKEA.
• Kenmore-branded appliances are made for Sears. Common model numbers for Kenmore products built by Whirlpool often start with the digits 110, 665, 880, or 106.
• Bauknecht and Privileg brands have been sold to "Beko Europe," a company owned by Arçelik.