Content about Whirlpool

A Supreme Court ruling came down on the side of Whirlpool, as the highest court sent a class-action case back to appeals court for reconsideration. 

At issue was the class-action status of the case brought against the appliance maker.

The Supreme Court's ruling, which came down Monday, was related to another class-action ruling that dealt with a case involving a class-action suit filed against Comcast. 

Whirlpool has appointed Diane Dietz, executive VP and chief marketing officer of Safeway, to its board of directors, effective immediately.

"Diane Dietz's history of leadership in the consumer products industry makes her an outstanding addition to our board," said Jeff Fettig, Whirlpool chairman and CEO. "We know her breadth of experience in driving sales and building successful brands will be invaluable to our board of directors and Whirlpool Corporation." 

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals today ordered that consumers in six states -- California, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota and Texas -- who allege that Sears sold them allegedly defective Kenmore front-loading "high efficiency" washing machines manufactured by Whirlpool may band together in a class action.

Whirlpool and Honeywell have announced that all Whirlpool U.S.-made refrigerators will begin incorporating Honeywell's Solstice Liquid Blowing Agent. This includes future product lineups from Whirlpool Brand, Maytag, Amana, Jenn-Air and KitchenAid brands.   

Whirlpool North America, a division of Whirlpool Corp., reported second-quarter sales of $2.5 billion, a 4% increase over its sales in the second quarter of 2011. Overall, North America unit shipments decreased approximately 2%, the company said, with its unit shipments of major appliances to the United States increasing approximately 1%.

Lowe’s has hired Kevin Summers as its new chief information officer, effective July 9. He will replace Michael Brown, who announced last April that he had accepted the company’s Voluntary Separation Program and decided to retire after almost 28 years with Lowe’s.

In a victory for foreign-based manufacturers, the U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled that LG Electronics and its affiliates were not guilty of “dumping” certain refrigerator models on the U.S. market. The 5-0 vote ended a year-old investigation initiated by Whirlpool, which claimed that bottom-mount refrigerators made in Mexico and Korea were sold in the United States at below market value.

What began quite innocently as a pet project turned into a national movement for Anders Lewendal, the Bozeman, Mont., builder who has since gained wide acclaim for constructing a house made entirely from U.S.-made products.

Initially, Lewendal set out to build an “efficient, affordable and environmentally healthy” home for a client whose daughter has cystic fibrosis. In researching the building materials and parts required for the project, Lewendal was struck with this idea: Why not go for all-American parts and materials.

Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool's CEO Jeff Fettig forecast industry demand in 2012 as "flat to slightly improving." 

The company posted sales of $4.9 billion in the fourth quarter, down slightly from $5.0 billion. But fourth-quarter net earnings increased to $205 million, compared with net earnings of $171 million during the same period last year.

The North America region reported operating profit of $202 million for the quarter compared with $53 million in the previous year.

Appliance maker Whirlpool prevailed in a preliminary finding by the U.S. Commerce Department that foreign producers in South Korea and Mexico -- including Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics -- violated United States and International trade laws by “dumping” bottom-mount refrigerators in the United States.

Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool has announced a second-quarter net loss of $161 million, compared with net earnings of $205 million in the same period last year. 

Second-quarter results include the settlement of a Brazilian collection dispute for about $3.78 per share and increased accruals related to developments in the Embraco antitrust matters of $1.08 per share.

Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $171 million, up 80% from $95 million during the same period in 2009. 

Fourth-quarter operating profit totaled $202 million, up 1.5% from $199 million in the prior year. Results benefited from cost reduction and productivity initiatives, increased monetization of certain tax credits, higher unit volume and lower incentive compensation.