Whirlpool Corporation

Infobox_Company
company_name = Whirlpool Corporation
company_
company_type = Public nyse|WHR)
company_slogan =
foundation = 1911
location = flagicon|United States Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA
key_people = Jeff M. Fettig, Chairman & CEO
Michael A. Todman, President, Whirlpool North America
Paulo F.M.O. Periquito, President, Whirlpool International
num_employees = 73,000
industry = Major appliances, Small appliances
products = Clothes washers and dryers, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, ranges, compactors, room air conditioners, microwaves ovens, stand mixers, hand mixers and blenders.
revenue = profit$18.08 Billion USD (2006)
net_income = profit $433 Million USD (2006)
homepage = [http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/ www.whirlpoolcorp.com] |

Whirlpool Corporation (nyse|WHR) is a Fortune 500 company and a global manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances,with annual sales of approximately $18 billion, more than 73,000 employees, and more than 70 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Inglis, Estate, Brastemp, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world.

After acquiring the Maytag Corporation on March 31, 2006, Whirlpool Corporation became the largest home appliance maker in the world.

Whirlpool Corporation's global and North American headquarters are in Benton Harbor, Michigan. In the U.S., Whirlpool has manufacturing facilities in Fort Smith, Arkansas; Evansville, Indiana; Iowa (Newton and Amana); Benton Harbor, Michigan; Oxford, Mississippi; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Ohio (Clyde, Findlay, Greenville and Marion); and Tennessee (Cleveland, Jackson, and La Vergne).

Chronology

Diversity

Whirlpool Corporation has seven employee run diversity networks that are involved with business, employee, and community projects to address the needs of the groups they represent. These diversity networks are The Women's Network (TWN), the Native American Network (NAN), the Whirlpool African American Network (WAAN), The Pride Network (PRIDE), the Whirlpool Asian Community (WAC), the Whirlpool Hispanic Network (WHN), and the Young Professionals Network (YP).

Whirlpool received a 100% rating on the Corporate Equality Index released by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equal rights organization Human Rights Campaign starting in 2004, the third year of the report.

However the following court cases show a different picture of Whirlpool's treatment of minorities.

In 2005 Whirlpool [http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/2207 settled a lawsuit] filed by several applicants, who had claimed they had been discriminated against based on race. The lawsuit was [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/16/ap/business/mainD8CL2P9O1.shtml eventually expanded] to include white employees as well as African-American.

Trivia

Whirlpool Corporation is a principal supporter of Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization dedicated to building low-cost, affordable housing. The company's commitment to Habitat for Humanity has exceeded $34 million and it has donated more than 73,000 appliances for Habitat homes. The company plans to support every Habitat home built globally by 2011, either through product donations, cash, or home sponsorship. [Whirlpool extends commitment to Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity. [http://www.habitat.org/newsroom/2005archive/insitedoc010399.aspx] ]

In November 2006, Whirlpool started the annual Building Blocks program, designed to raise awareness and help eliminate substandard housing in the United States. Each year the program recognizes an outstanding U.S. Habitat for Humanity affiliate and its relationship with its local community by holding a week-long build in the affiliate’s community. The program kicked off in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006 when Whirlpool united 100 local residents with 100 Whirlpool employees and volunteers from 100 Habitat affiliates. These 300 volunteers built 10 homes on one block from Nov. 5-10, 2006. Whirlpool will build nine homes near Phoenix, Arizona, in May 2007. [Whirlpool Building Blocks project welcomes home new Habitat homeowners. Habitat for Humanity. [http://www.habitat.org/newsroom/2007archive/05_18_2007_WBB_Closing_Rls.aspx] ]

In 2006, more than 20 Whirlpool India employees participated in the week-long Jimmy Carter Work Project in India, which resulted in the completion of 100 homes in a village near Mumbai. In 2005, Whirlpool India began a partnership with Habitat for Humanity India. Volunteers from Whirlpool participated in the build organized by Habitat for Tsunami victims in the southern part of India.

In June 2005, Habitat for Humanity held its annual Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP) in Benton Harbor, Michigan. This week-long effort cumulated in the completion of more than 230 houses in Michigan. Whirlpool was the lead sponsor for the build and 270 Whirlpool employees from 19 nations worked together to build 10 houses during the week.

To facilitate Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, Whirlpool worked with Habitat to support “Operation Home Delivery.” Whirlpool employees helped construct approximately 50 pre-built homes in New York’s Rockefeller Center that were boxed and shipped to Louisiana and Mississippi and later erected with the help of Whirlpool employees in St. Tamany Parrish, Louisiana. In January 2007, Whirlpool chose to hold its annual sales meeting in New Orleans. As part of that meeting, more than 1,000 Whirlpool employees spent one day volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in an effort to continue rebuilding New Orleans’ residential areas.

Since 2004, Whirlpool has sponsored entertainment icon Reba McEntire’s music tours to raise awareness and more than $500,000 for Habitat for Humanity.

Cook for the Cure:Cook for the Cure presented by KitchenAid, was created in 2001 to give passionate cooks a way to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Cook for the Cure has raised more than $4 million through donation-with-purchase programs, special fundraising events, auctions and grass roots initiatives. KitchenAid also supports breast cancer foundations in other countries including Canada, France, Germany, South Africa, Greece and Israel.

Major brands

* [http://www.whirlpool.com Whirlpool]
* [http://www.Maytag.com Maytag]
* [http://www.kitchenaid.com KitchenAid]
* [http://www.jennair.com Jenn-Air]
* [http://www.amana.com Amana]
* [http://www.roperappliances.com Roper]
* [http://www.acros.com.mx Acros]
* [http://estateappliances.com Estate]
* [http://www.inglis.ca Inglis]
* [http://www.bauknecht.com Bauknecht]
* [http://www.brastemp.com Brastemp]
* [http://www.gladiatorgw.com Gladiator GarageWorks]

Whirlpool also manufactures certain appliances under the Kenmore label, (manufactured for Sears Holdings Corporation). Whirlpool has expanded the marketing of Inglis appliances which are now sold in the United States at Best Buy stores. Whirlpool also manufactures IKEA brand appliances for low-cost home products retailer IKEA and Admiral appliances for Home Depot.

Controversy

In 2004 Whirlpool [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,138512,00.html sued to block a new Oklahoma law] that would have allowed gun owners to keep their guns in their locked cars.

A Whirlpool dishwasher recalled in 1996 [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/09/04/BAG6H8JMQ91.DTL caused a house fire] that killed a 78-year-old California woman in 2004. The family claims they never received a recall notice.

In March 2007 a [http://www.hoinews.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=29345 federal lawsuit was filed] against Whirlpool for not warning customers about leaky icemakers in Whirlpool, KitchenAid and Roper brand refrigerators.

In 2006 Whirlpool [http://www.calypsosettlement.com/ agreed to settle] a lawsuit filed against them accusing them of manufacturing a defective washing machine.

In 2007 Maytag, owned and operated by Whirlpool, was asked by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to recall 2.3 million Maytag and Jenn-Air brand dishwashers posing a fire hazard. Consumers were asked in letter dated November 28, 2007 to immediately stop using the dishwasher, disconnect the electric supply to the dishwasher by shutting off the circuit breaker, and inform all users not to use the dishwasher due to the risk of fire. Instead of recalling the units Whirlpool and affiliated companies are offering a $75 voucher on their products, which is less than 10% of replacement cost.

References

* [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/libraryarchives/ihc/faq.asp Wisconsin Historical Archives FAQ ]

External links

* [http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com Official Site]
* [http://www.whirlpoolindia.com Whirlpool India]
* [http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/11/11632.html Yahoo! - Whirlpool Corporation Company Profile]
* [http://www.google.com/finance?q=WHR Google - Whirlpool Corporation Company Profile]
* [http://www.archive.org/details/Wonderfu1958 The Wonderful World of Wash and Wear, a film produced by the Jam Handy Company for RCA Whirlpool]
* [http://www.partselect.com/Whirlpool-Parts.htm Whirlpool Parts]
* [http://www.allstarsappliance.com Whirlpool Repair Los Angeles Metro]