Tag Archives: Whirlpool

Whirlpool Cassinetta Plant

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Whirlpool Corp.’s assembly plant CASSINETTA, Italy has become a zero waste to landfill facility a year ahead of schedule, and it reduced its carbon emissions by 38 percent in just four years. The appliance manufacturer is aiming for carbon neutrality at all of its 54 sites around the world by 2030.

Other sustainable improvements at the plant, which assembling ovens, refrigerators, and microwaves, including cutting electricity during breaks, recycling plastic, reducing the use of polystyrene, and opting for electric power over fossil fuels. Employing nearly 3,000 people, the plant sits in close proximity to 80 percent of its suppliers, reducing the carbon footprint needed to transport components and raw materials to the plant

Whirlpool to Buy Insinkerator Waste-Disposal Business in $3 Billion Deal

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Whirlpool Corp. agreed to buy Insinkerator, Emerson Electric Co.’s Waste-disposal business, in a $3 billion transaction

InSinkErator, which has an over 70% market share in the food waste disposal industry, is a popular household name in the United States.

New supply chain director whirlpool UK

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Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited, the home of Hotpoint, has announced the appointment of Alistair Dobson as Supply Chain Director, UK and Ireland. Having worked for Whirlpool UK in various roles of increasing responsibility for over two decades, Alistair brings a wealth of knowledge and experience of the domestic appliance industry to his new positionAlistair’s new position as Supply Chain Director will involve leading the company’s supply chain operations, including overseeing its commitment to creating a circular economy

Whirlpool new manufacturing site in Bangladesh

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Whirlpool Corporation,and Transcom Group, one of the renowned business houses in Bangladesh, yesterday announced an agreement to set up a manufacturing plant in joint venture to make refrigerators in the country, The plant, spreading over approximately 85,000 square feet area, will manufacture a wide range of technologically advanced refrigerators for sale by Whirlpool and Transcom under their respective brands

New Whirlpool UK MD

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Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited, the home of Hotpoint, has announced the appointment of Lena Henry as Managing Director, UK and Ireland.

Lena is a highly experienced Managing Director with expertise in leading complex business initiatives across a multitude of markets, both mature and emerging. Beginning her career at McKinsey & Company, a global management consultancy firm, Lena advised several leading and internationally recognised businesses on commercial and operational matters across a variety of product categories, with a focus on consumer and retail industries.

Lena then joined Essilor, the world leader in ophthalmic optics, where she worked her way through the ranks until taking on her most recent role with the company as Managing Director, Essilor France. During her time at Essilor, Lena oversaw corporate strategy, including the implementation of commercial initiatives, in addition to leading greenfield e-commerce launches on a global scale.

Combining a wealth of knowledge across a variety of markets, with experience across both consultancy and client-focused roles, Lena also brings a strong educational background to her new role at Whirlpool UK. In addition to receiving Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Engineering and Structural Engineering and Mechanics of Materials, Lena obtained an MBA in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Lena Henry, Managing Director, UK and Ireland, Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited says: “I’m incredibly proud to be embarking on and extending my career with Whirlpool UK, a company with an extremely strong heritage and an excellent portfolio of brands that are recognised across the world. My experience will enable me to build upon the tremendous work that the team is already undertaking, whilst furthering our commitment to consistently delivering outstanding customer care, as well as innovative new products that use resources sustainably. It’s a very exciting time ahead for Whirlpool UK and I look forward to leading the company’s plans for growth and continued success.”

Whirlpool to divest Russian operations

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Whirlpool’s global headquarters in Benton Harbor.

Whirlpool Corp. is selling off its operations in Russia. 

The company’s Whirlpool EMEA SpA subsidiary inked a share purchase agreement to divest the operations to Arçelik A.Ş., a maker of household appliances and durable goods based in Istanbul, Turkey, according to a filing with federal securities regulators.

Under the deal, Whirlpool will sell its Russian operations to Arçelik for deferred payments that it expects the buyer to make over a 10-year period. The payments will be capped at the net asset value of the business at closing, which Whirlpool estimates at around 220 million euros, or about $232 million

The sale will include a manufacturing plant in Lipetsk, Russia, and a sales organization in Moscow, as well as sales operations in Kazakhstan and other nations in the Commonwealth of Independent States. 

After the close of the deal, Arçelik will continue to make Whirlpool brands Indesit, Hotpoint and Stinol at the Lipetsk facility, according to the filing. 

Whirlpool UK Achieves 50 Per Cent Reduction in General Waste

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Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited, the home of Hotpoint, Indesit, Whirlpool and KitchenAid brands, has announced the appointment of Axil integrated Services in a multi-million-pound contract. This follows a highly successful previous partnership with the waste management firm that saw the manufacturer achieve a 50 per cent reduction in general waste and achieve its zero waste to landfill by 2022 pledge at Whirlpool sites in Peterborough and Yate.

The manufacturer’s re-appointment of Axil highlights Whirlpool UK’s ongoing commitment to its sustainability goals, including its Net Zero 2030 target for its Scope 1 and 2 emissions. To date, the waste management expert has already supported Whirlpool UK in reducing its plastic usage by 80 per cent, as well as an overall reduction in general waste by 50 per cent – approximately the weight of a double-decker bus each month. In addition, Axil has saved the company 1,800 in manual hours by introducing machinery for waste movements and processing.

Voluntary, temporary layoffs’ planned at Whirlpool’s Marion manufacturing plant

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Whirlpool Corporation is planning to conduct “voluntary, temporary layoffs” at its Marion manufacturing plant, according to a statement issued by the company.

The Benton Harbor, Michigan-based appliance manufacturer recently wrapped up what the company termed as “scheduled down days for all hourly employees” in early June at the Marion plant due to supply chain issues.

In March of this year, production was temporarily halted at the Whirlpool plant in Clyde for the same reason

Former Whirlpool exec dodges trade-secret claims over Haier move

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An Italian former Whirlpool Corp executive who left for appliance-industry competitor Haier has defeated, for now, claims in Delaware federal court that he stole company trade secrets.

Benton Harbor, Michigan-based Whirlpool failed to show that the court had jurisdiction over the claims against Davide Cabri and could not block him from working for Haier’s European subsidiary Candy Hoover Group, a federal judge said Thursday.

However, Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Evan Wallach allowed Whirlpool’s claim that Cabri breached a contract with the company to move forward.

Whirlpool said in a statement provided Friday by its attorney that it would continue with the case and “vigorously explore all possible avenues” to protect its proprietary information.

Cabri’s attorney and Haier Europe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cabri worked for Whirlpool for more than 32 years and was a high-level executive in Whirlpool’s global laundry division before telling the company he had accepted a new job at Candy Hoover last April.

Whirlpool sued Cabri in July, arguing Haier had hired Cabri for its laundry division because he knew Whirlpool’s trade secrets and said it would be impossible for him to perform his new role without misusing them.

Wallach dismissed the trade-secret claims Thursday, rejecting Whirlpool’s argument that the Delaware court could hear them based on a forum-selection clause in a company agreement with Cabri. The agreement, which relates to an incentive plan, is not related to the trade-secret claims, Wallach said.

The court gave Whirlpool a chance to refile the claims, though it said there was an “absence of any other facts” to support a jurisdiction finding.

Whirlpool’s claim that Cabri was required to repay over $400,000 in incentives under the agreement survived Cabri’s motion to dismiss. Wallach rejected Cabri’s argument that the dispute should be heard in Italy.

WHIRLPOOL CORP. OUTLINES PROGRESS ON NET ZERO TARGETS

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Whirlpool Corporation today issued an update on progress towards achieving Net Zero targets the company first announced in May of 2021. As part of this update, Whirlpool Corp.—building on its long history of improved environmental performance—is accelerating its commitment to sustainable operations through investments in renewable energy, manufacturing plant retrofits, and on-going energy, water, and waste reduction projects.

“Our vision at Whirlpool is to improve life at home. We know fulfilling that vision requires us to think not just in terms of the four walls around us and the communities in which we live, but of the planet that sustains us,” said Marc Bitzer, chairman and CEO of Whirlpool Corp. “Over the course of our history we have consistently developed products and technologies that deliver on this vision.”

Demonstrating Action*
In 2021, Whirlpool Corp.:

Drove a 27 percent reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally for all Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions compared to a 2016 baseline, accelerating the company’s progress to meet its Net-Zero target by 2030.Achieved 14 percent  Scope 3 Category 11 emissions reduction, in line with its target reduction of 20 percent by 2030, compared to 2016 levels.Issued its first Sustainability Bond, withthe proceeds allocated to drive positive environmental and social impacts.Continued to develop innovative technologies and products that reduce its environmental impact.

Whirlpool Corp.’s approach to fostering long-term, sustainably-resilient operations starts with innovative design and technology to improve energy and water efficiency, as well as recyclability. Continuous improvements as part of the World Class Manufacturing process have been rolled out in plants and operations across the manufacturing process and supply chain.

“Whirlpool takes a holistic, long-term approach to environmental sustainability,” said Ron Voglewede, director of sustainability. “It’s not too far into the future that we envisage manufacturing home appliances in plants that are 100 percent renewable-powered with off-site and expanded on-site wind farms and solar panels, and an end-of-life product recycling program which directly feeds into our own supply chain for new products.”Whirlpool Corp. is one of the largest onsite wind energy consumers among Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. Through expanding on-site renewables, additional Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs), and green energy procurement, the company targets a nearly one-third reduction in its global carbon footprint in its operations.

The company is on track to achieve its Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWtL) goal for all manufacturing sites by the end of the year. Currently, 90 percent of its sites have achieved Gold or Platinum ratings using the UL ECVP 2799 Zero Waste to Landfill standard. The company has also recently joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE)  Better Climate Challenge, targeting a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent within 10 years and collaborating with the DOE and other organizations to cut carbon and save energy. Over the past five years, it has also achieved a 34 percent reduction in water consumption in its operations globally. 

Advancing a Sustainable Future Through Our Products
Whirlpool Corp.’s average refrigerators use less energy than a 60 watt light bulb, its clothes washers have 57 percent more capacity than they did in 1992, and they use 78 percent less energy1—all without compromising quality and function. Overall, Whirlpool Corp. has reduced by 60 percent its product emissions since 2005, and continues to invest in innovation to launch leading products that improve performance, while lowering their overall carbon footprint.

An initiative in Europe has led to the removal of expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging from cooking products and dishwashers sold to one of its large retail customers. The company also considers how it can use its scale and its presence in approximately 70 percent of U.S. homes2, to drive sustainable behaviors—from educating consumers about not needing to pre-rinse dishes before placing them in the dishwasher, to using connected appliance features to run their appliances during the best times to lower their costs and have the least impact on the electrical grid.To learn more about Whirlpool Corp.’s progress, please view the recently released 2021 Sustainability Report http://whirlpoolcorp.com/2021SustainabilityReport/