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Whirlpool’s emphasis on innovation has made it one of Europe’s leading household appliancebrands. The strategic investments it continues to make in design, manufacturing and thecommunity lie at the heart of its commitment to maintaining customer loyalty and retaining itsprominent position within such a competitive industry.

MarketWhirlpool is a leading producer of majorhome appliances in North America and LatinAmerica with a significant presence inmarkets throughout India, China and Europe,where it is outpacing industry growth.

Indeed, Whirlpool Europe’s net sales for2007 increased by 12.1 per cent to a recordUS$3.8 billion. These strong results weredriven by gains in market share and newproduct introductions leading to a widenedmix of products on offer, particularly with theexpansion of its built-in appliance range.

AchievementsWith 14,000 employees, a sales presence in more than 30 European countries andmanufacturing sites in seven, WhirlpoolEurope is a wholly owned subsidiary ofWhirlpool Corporation, the world’s leadingmanufacturer and marketer of major homeappliances. Whirlpool Corporation has annualsales of more than US$18 billion, 73,000employees and more than 70 manufacturingand technology research centres strategicallypositioned globally. The company marketsWhirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air,

Amana, Brastemp, Bauknecht and a host ofother major brand names to consumersaround the world.

Whirlpool’s structured design and creativityled to it being named one of the world’s 100 most innovative companies by BusinessWeek magazine and to be listed in the Ocean Tomo 300 Patent Index, the first equity index based on the value of corporateintellectual property.

In April 2008, Whirlpool gained ‘HonoraryMention’ (second place) in four differentcategories at the ninth Annual ProcessExcellence Summit in London. The awardswere for Best Project Contributing toInnovation, Best Fast Track Project, BestProcess Improvement in Manufacturing Projectand Best Design for its 6 Sigma Project.

ProductSpace-conscious kitchen appliances thatseamlessly integrate function with designaesthetics have become the industrybenchmark. Whirlpool, which manufactures and markets a full range of home appliances,consistently produces innovative technologicalsolutions to better meet consumers’ evolving needs.

The brand’s range of built-in products playsa vital role in its growth strategy. The built-insegment is a growth area in which Whirlpoolcontinues to allocate significant resources.Characterised by elegant ergonomic design and high-quality materials, Whirlpool’s range of built-in products demonstrates the company’s spatial thinking, a definingbrand characteristic. The range offers stylecombined with intelligent functionality and

2007Whirlpool launchesthe Essence andGallery built-incollections acrossEurope.

2008GreenKitchen, aprototype for asustainable integratedkitchen and an industryfirst, is launched. It isscheduled to enter themarketplace in 2010.

1911 Upton Machine Corporationis founded in St Joseph,Michigan, to produceelectric motor-drivenwringer washers. In 1929 itmerges with the NineteenHundred Washer Co.

1919 Gottlob Bauknecht starts a small electric workshopin Taillfingen, Germany,eventually establishing hisfirst factory in 1933. Philipsacquires the Bauknechtbusiness in 1982.

1989 Whirlpool Corporationand Philips form aEuropean jointventure, of whichWhirlpool Corporationbecomes the soleowner in 1991.

2006 In March Whirlpoolcompletes theacquisition ofMaytag.

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customised features such as text-assisteddisplays and its patented 6th Sensetechnology designed to sense, adapt and control.

Whirlpool’s Essence and Premium rangesof built-in products offer high-specification,anti-fingerprint stainless steel ovens, winecellars, coffee machines, extractor fans andunder-counter cooling drawers – all made tofit precisely into kitchen units and designedto free up time and space in the kitchen.

The side-by-side Espresso fridge freezer –with integrated coffee maker and water andice dispenser – is an example of the type ofproduct that has helped Whirlpool to becomea market leader in designing multi-functionalappliances that meet ever-changingconsumer needs.

Recent DevelopmentsWhirlpool’s commitment to innovation anddesign enables it to challenge conventionthrough taking risks and developing solutionsthat break through boundaries. It recentlyunveiled GreenKitchen, its prototype for a sustainable integrated kitchen and anindustry first. GreenKitchen – scheduled toenter the marketplace in 2010 – has beendesigned in response to increasing consumerdemand for more eco friendly products as a key part of the brand’s environmentalstrategy. The concept is to deliver ecologicalbenefits – through adapting, recycling andreducing – that are achieved with a range of integrated appliances optimising the useof heat and water and increasing energyefficiency by up to 70 per cent. With greenliving at the forefront of today’s consumers’minds, GreenKitchen focuses on four distinct areas to achieve energy savings:products; eco-system; behaviour; and aconcept called co-generation wherebydomestic electricity is generated via systemsthat produce both hot water and electricity at the same time.

In 2008 Whirlpool once again set anindustry precedent by becoming the firstEuropean manufacturer to produce adishwasher with an integrated steamfunction. The advanced kitchen appliancerange, 6th Sense Steam Range, combines6th Sense technology with steam andincludes a Steam Assisted Oven, theAquaSteam Washing Machine and amicrowave with steam cooking feature.These products aim to save energy andmoney by offering consumers improvedperformance with reduced cooking andwashing times.

PromotionWhirlpool’s award-winning consumercampaign, which has been running for nearly 10 years, is unique within the kitchenappliance market. Based on a ‘goddess’theme it spans print and online. The latestadvertisements feature a goddess wearing a dress by cutting-edge Italian designerAntonio Berardi.

Whirlpool pursues its business objectiveswhile helping to improve the lives of peoplein the communities in which it operates. Themost important corporate social responsibilityproject supported by Whirlpool is itspartnership with Habitat for Humanity, whichis committed to providing simple, decent,affordable houses for families in need, inmore than a hundred countries. Whirlpoolhas supported this global, non-profitorganisation in many ways for a number ofyears; not only providing products, to datemore than 3,500 employees have volunteeredto help physically build new homes.

In 2001, the charity recognised WhirlpoolCorporation for its commitment as the largestcorporate donor to the project; since thebeginning of the programme, Whirlpool hassupported Habitat for Humanity with aninvestment of more than US$25 million anddonated 62,000 appliances.

Three years later, Whirlpool announced theextension of its collaboration with Habitat for

Humanity in Europe, creating a three-waypartnership whereby tennis players NadiaPetrova and Agnes Szavay represent theWhirlpool-sponsored Women’s TennisAssociation (WTA) as official ambassadors for Habitat for Humanity in Europe.

In 2005, Whirlpool launched a series ofinitiatives including ‘Aces for homes’, theWhirlpool ‘Love Food’ cookbook and theWhirlpool ‘Players Painting’ to raise furtherfunds and awareness of the work done byHabitat for Humanity.

Brand ValuesWhirlpool strives to make intelligentappliances that make people’s lives moreefficient and pleasurable. The brand is aboutrelentless inquiry and innovation, to produceindustry-leading design and technologicalsolutions to better meet consumers’ needs.New design trends, technological advances,evolutions in society and changes in domesticbehaviour have all played a part in thedevelopment of its groundbreaking designs.

www.whirlpool.co.uk

Things you didn’t know aboutWhirlpool

A refrigerator in the GreenKitchen rangeis designed to save up to 46 per centmore energy, compared to regularmodels, thanks to new insulationmaterials, variable capacity compressorsand more efficient heat-exchangers.

Whirlpool operates three of Europe’sseven largest factories.

Whirlpool products can be found in morethan 200 million households worldwide.

Whirlpool has been a specialist in homeappliances for 97 years.

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