Whirlpool

Whirlpool is the number one household appliance brand in Europe and has been selected as a Superbrand in the UK

This is a success born out of relentless inquiry and innovation, consistently producing industry leading design and technological solutions to better meet all your needs. New design tendencies, advances in technology, evolutions in society and domestic behaviour have all informed the need for change.

1911 – Upton Machine Corporation is founded in St. Joseph, Michigan, to produce electric motor-driven wringer washers. Subsequently merges with the Nineteen Hundred Washer Co. in 1929.

1919 – Gottlob Bauknecht starts small electric workshop in Taillfingen, Germany, eventually establishing his first factory in 1933. Philips acquires Bauknecht business in 1982.

1943 – Guido Borghi and his three sons found the Ignis company and brand in Comerio, Italy, later to be acquired by Philips in 1972 and then by Whirlpool Corporation in 1989.

1950 – Nineteen Hundred Corporation changes name to the Whirlpool Corporation.

1957 – Whirlpool Corporation invests in Brasmotor S.A., for an equity stake in the Brazilian appliance market.

1986 – Whirlpool Corporation purchases KitchenAid.

1989 – Whirlpool Corporation and Philips form European joint venture. Whirlpool Corporation becomes sole owner in 1991. Between 1991 and the present, Whirlpool Europe has consolidated 32 separate markets into a unified business entity.

2000 – 2002 – 2004 – Whirlpool launches a series of design innovation concept projects: 2000, Macrowave new frontiers for the modern microwave features at the Milan Triennale and the Louvre, Paris; 2002, Project F, a concept design project looking at the future of laundry; 2004, in.kitchen, a visionary design project on the future of kitchen space and appliances.

2001 – Habitat for Humanity International, a global, non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide, recognizes Whirlpool Corporation for its commitment as the largest corporate donor to the project More than houses: Rebuilding our Communities.

2002 – Whirlpool completes acquisition of Polar, S.A., Poland’s leading home appliances manufacturer and top Polish brand.

2004 – Whirlpool Europe becomes Premier Sponsor of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) European tour. The company also announces the extension of its collaboration with Habitat for Humanity in Europe, and creates a milestone three-way partnership, whereby Am?e Mauresmo represents the WTA as official ambassador for Habitat for Humanity in Europe.

2005 – Whirlpool Europe opens new cooking factory on its Wroclaw, Poland, manufacturing site, producing built-in hobs and ovens under the company’s entire portfolio of European brands, to be distributed across all markets in Europe. The site is also home to a dishwasher factory and a refrigeration factory, a centre of technological excellence and rapid prototyping, and a chemical waste-water treatment plant.

2006 – In 2006, Whirlpool Corporation acquired Maytag Corporation, thus extending its existing position as the world?s leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances to a company with annual sales of more than $19 billion, more than 80,000 employees, and over 60 manufacturing and technology research centres around the world.