Introduction:

Whirlpool Corporation (“Whirlpool”) is the world’s leading manufacturer

of major home appliances with revenues of $18.9 billion and net earnings of
$418 million for the year ended December 31, 2008. Whirlpool is the leading
producer of major home appliances in North America and Latin America and
has a significant presence in markets throughout Europe and India. Whirlpool
received worldwide recognition for accomplishments in a variety of business
and social efforts, including leadership, diversity, innovative product design,
business ethics, social responsibility and community involvement. They
conducted their business through four reportable segments, which they
define based on geography. The reportable segments consist of North
America (57% of revenue), Europe (21% of revenue), Latin America (19% of
revenue), and Asia (3% of revenue).

Whirlpool vision:
Every Home… Everywhere… with Pride, Passion and Performance

This vision statement reinforces that every home is their domain, every
customer and customer activity is their opportunity. This vision fuels the
passion that they have for customers, pushing towards to provide innovative
solutions to uniquely meet their needs.

Pride... in work and each other

Passion... for creating unmatched customer loyalty for their brands

Performance... that excites and rewards global investors with superior

returns

Whirlpool mission:

Everyone, Passionately Creating Loyal Customers for Life

Whirlpool mission defines the focus and what it does differently to create
value. Its a company of people captivated with creating loyal customers.
From every job, across every contact, it builds unmatched customer
loyalty…one customer at a time.

Whirlpool values:

The company’s values are constant and define the way that all
Whirlpool Corporation employees are expected to behave and conduct
business everywhere in the world.

Respect — Trust one another as individuals and value the capabilities and
contributions of each person.

Integrity — It conducts all aspects of business honorably – ever mindful of

the longtime Whirlpool Corporation belief that there is no right way to do a
wrong thing.

Diversity and Inclusion — It maintains the broad diversity of Whirlpool

people and ideas. Diversity honors differences, while inclusion allows
everyone to contribute. Together, it creates value.

Teamwork — It recognizes that pride results in working together to unleash

everyone’s potential, achieving exceptional results.

Spirit of Winning — The company promotes a Whirlpool

culture that enables individuals and teams to reach and take pride in
extraordinary results and further inspire the "Spirit of Winning" in everyone.

Innovation:

Whirlpool Corporation firmly believes innovative thinking comes from

everyone, everywhere. Nearly 10 years ago, they launched a worldwide
effort to instill innovation as a core competency throughout the entire
organization. Since then, Whirlpool employees worldwide have participated
in and contributed to innovation-related activities resulting in new ideas,
products and services; thus delivering real value to consumers in ways never
before seen in either the company or the home appliance industry.

Focused on embedding innovation as a core competency, Whirlpool

Corporation has made a long-standing investment to build this competency.
This investment includes redesigning business processes, training thousands
of employees, building an innovation management system and changing the
culture of the company.

Innovation attracts consumers to the wide portfolio of brands;

Whirlpool Corporation generated more than $2.5 billion of worldwide revenue
from product innovations—well exceeding projected targets for the year—
and the robust pipeline of $4.5 billion will allow for continued growth over
time.

Promising entity of the company :

Whirlpool Corporation is committed in building products that
consumers around the world can rely upon to meet their daily needs. This
commitment to quality begins in the concept stages and continues
throughout the lifetime of the appliance. The result of these efforts is a
sustainable and competitive advantage for the company.
Globally, Whirlpool Corporation manufactures products using
principles of lean manufacturing and operational excellence to ensure
continuous improvement of processes and to produce products that meet
the company's high-quality standards.
 At Whirlpool, there is a constant focus on seeking out new and unique
ways to improve the function, performance and sustainability of their
products.

The ring of promise circling the Whirlpool Corporation logo

The ring around the whirlpool logo clearly shows how the company
encompasses with a promising nature in developing a individual customer
loyalty with its services .

Building the Corporate Brand:

The Whirlpool corporate brand has a history dating back to 1911. The
company has steadily expanded its product line, revenues, and global
footprint for more than five decades, evident by milestone returns – from $1
billion in 1968, to $2 billion by 1978, to $6 billion by 1989, to the $13 billion
reported in 2004. The corporate mission has also remained focused over
time, demonstrated by mantras such as “Unmatched customer loyalty – the
core of our strategy” and “Customer passion and lifelong relationships – the
focus of our business.”
The corporate brand has also been built on a long history of design
innovation, a safe and diverse employee environment, customer-centered
manufacturing, and a spirit of social responsibility. In fact, the depth of the
company’s commitment to multiple social efforts is evident by a six-year
inclusion of Whirlpool on the “100 Best Corporate Citizens” list published by
Business Ethics Magazine. The company boasts an impressive set of
accomplishments that foster these commitments:
 • The implementation of Operational Excellence, Whirlpool’s custom
version of the Six Sigma program, improves quality while lowering
costs and shortening cycle times. This program helped Whirlpool
leverage its global manufacturing experience to save $175 million in
manufacturing costs in its first three years of use.
• Whirlpool’s commitment to innovation was recognized in 2002 with a
National Design Award for Corporate Achievement from the
Smithsonian Institution.
• Whirlpool is a six-time winner of the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year
award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
Department of Energy, demonstrating the company’s commitment to
environmental protection.
• More than 3,500 Whirlpool employees are involved in a five-year, $25
million commitment to Habitat for Humanity International. The
partnership has provided more than 65,000 appliances to Habitat
homes built in North America. In addition,
Whirlpool has raised over a million dollars to support the fight against breast
cancer through the “Cook for the Cure” program, sponsored by KitchenAid.
Over 90 years of history gives Whirlpool an extremely valuable asset: a
corporate brand that communicates innovation, consumer-driven research
and development, and excellence in design and performance. Injecting these
principles into internal and customer-facing business processes enables the
company to invoke a consistent set of emotional responses from consumers
including trust, uniqueness, and most important, loyalty.

Establishing a House of Brands:

Whirlpool offers a wide range of household appliance products,
including washing machines, clothes dryers, refrigerators, freezers, cooking
appliances, microwave ovens, dishwashers and a complete range of built-in
appliances. Within these product lines, the company has also established a
portfolio of brands through innovative product design, targeted marketing,
and a spectrum of partnerships with trade customers. This portfolio enables
Whirlpool to offer multiple brands with distinct values in the same product
category. A prime example is the company’s “house of brands” for kitchen
appliances:

• KitchenAid – an up-market brand serving professional chefs and the

“home enthusiast or entertainer.” Characteristics and features for this
brand are geared toward thorough processing, precision, and
accuracy. Branding for KitchenAid appliances includes taglines such as
“innovative products for the well-equipped kitchen,” “more than a
mixer,” and “cater to higher expectations.”
• Whirlpool – a mass-market brand serving families and in particular,
the “active balancer” or “super-mom.” Characteristics and features for
this brand are geared toward speed, high capacity, and durability.
Branding for Whirlpool appliances includes taglines such as “cook
more,” “style and performance unite,” and “Form. Function. Unity.”
• Roper – a value brand serving cost-conscious consumers who buy
based on price. Characteristics and features for this brand are geared
toward simplicity, reliability, and in particular, affordability. Branding
for Roper appliances includes taglines such as “sensible solutions for
your family” and “simple, sturdy, affordable workhorse appliances.”

Whirlpool’s ability to establish multiple consumer-preferred brand

positions within the same product line represents a corporate investment in
the millions of dollars for research, design, production and marketing. A key
success factor has been the creation of emotional links between the
corporate brand, individual brands and consumer reaction. The effect has
been viral and measurable, demonstrated by continuous growth in the pool
of “brand ambassadors” that recommend Whirlpool products, upgrade
existing products, and cross purchase products from other Whirlpool brands.
Whirlpool Brands:

Strategy execution:
 The main strategy of the whirlpool is building strong brands which has
a loyal consumer base. Whirlpool is trying to build trustworthiness of the
customer and lead the customer life easier. Whirlpool mailnly does lot of
work contributing in building unmatched levels of loyalty to their brands
through lifelong relationships with the customers.
Whirlpool is committed to create the brand value using various
strategies such as focusing on innovation, cost productivity, product quality
and consumer value. Whirlpool always had a continous effort to improve its
global operating platform to ensure the position of the best-cost and best-
quality appliance manufacturer worldwide. The company is maintaining a
strong supply chain to better deliver products in trading customers and
consumers. The benefits of these actions today through a stronger network,
increased efficiencies and timely deliveries.
Now and then, even in the future the whirlpool focus is not simply on
producing products but more on the innovation and customer perception in
creating them. Its major focus is always on maximizing the benefits of their
worldwide network of resources, which is unmatched in the industry. They
are creating better, more innovative products that improve consumers' lives
—in and around the home—each and every day. The company is always
committed in being an agile, global consumer products company that
creates value through their brands and innovations. With their compelling
and growing brands, fueled with innovation, the company always attracts
and retain loyal customers for life.

Going Global with the House:

According to the Fredonia Group, “World demand for major household

appliances (white goods) will reach 367 million units in 2007. The
Asia/Pacific, Latin American and Africa/Mideast regions will grow the fastest
based on rising urban populations and per capita incomes.” As a result of a
growth strategy initiated in the mid 1980’s to expand its presence outside
the U.S. market, Whirlpool is in an enviable position to meet the worldwide
demand for household appliances.
A major acquisition in Europe, joint ventures with companies in Mexico
and India, and increased ownership in companies in Canada and Brazil
represented the first phase of global expansion for the company. The early
1990's marked Whirlpool’s expansion in Latin America, Asia, and greater
presence Europe. By 1995, the company established manufacturing and
marketing presence in India, China and the Asia Pacific region. Today,
Whirlpool Corporation boasts the number one market positions in North
America and Latin America.
Whirlpool’s global operating platform adds benefits as well as
complexities to its house of brands. On the one hand, the KitchenAid,
Whirlpool, and Roper brands leverage worldwide efficiencies and best
practices in product development, engineering, and manufacturing
processes. Each brand also benefits from a well-established corporate brand
as it enters new geographical segments.
 On the other hand, the corporation is well aware that Whirlpool’s
“Every Home…Everywhere” mantra must account for the identification and
respect of genuine national and regional differences in customer
expectations. Hence, individual brand messaging, positioning, and imagery
must be consistent without compromising geographical uniqueness. Given a
platform that spans 170 countries across North America, Europe, Latin
America, and Asia, this can be a tall order. Hence, Whirlpool’s challenge for
the 21st century is to leverage its global operating platform to increase
worldwide market penetration while sustaining innovation, brand equity, and
competitive advantage across its house of brands. With a foundation of
innovative design and development, consistent brand management, and
proactive customer relationship management, Whirlpool has established the
groundwork it needs to do so.

GLOBAL CONSUMER DESIGN

This is the face and voice of the creative spirit that lives at the heart of
Whirlpool Corporation a multicultural team of designers, usability experts,
anthropologists, behavior psychologists, color experts and interactive
designers.
Whirlpool Corporation's Global Consumer Design Studios are based in
four locations - North America, Mexico, Europe and Asia - reflecting strong
connections with the Company’s global vision “Every Home, Everywhere”
and its truly global approach to design. Global Consumer Design’s four
design centers are led from Whirlpool Corporation's headquarters in Benton
Harbor, Michigan in the U.S.

Monterrey: Northern Mexico’s largest city

Benton Harbor: purpose-built facilities at the company headquarters, close
to Chicago
Cassinetta: located in Northern Italy, close to Milan, a hub for design and
fashion
New Delhi and Shanghai: bridging two of Asia’s centers of gravity

Design acts as an open conduit for influences into the company, and a
catalyst for innovation and cultural change. Taking a “global but local”
approach, Global Consumer Design tests the relevance of its design vision
and concepts to reflect local influences and market diversity. Projects are
driven by innovation, yet they are also balanced by understanding emerging
consumer trends, analyzing consumer experience and seeking out “real-life”
insights.
Environment responsibility:

“At Whirlpool Corporation, we take our environmental

responsibilities very seriously. Just as we have taken a global
approach to our home appliance business, we believe our world's
environmental issues, such as climate change, must be addressed in
a similarly comprehensive way. This is why we continue to develop
innovative products that minimize their impact on the environment
while making our consumers' lives easier.”

— Jeff M. Fettig, Chairman and CEO, Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation is an industry leader in developing high-

performance appliances that help conserve the earth's resources and allow
homeowners to use resources more efficiently. They continually strive to
understand and manage the environmental effects of their business, not only
by creating new and innovative products that consume less energy and
water, but also by improving our processes and using materials that
minimize the impact on the planet.

Whirlpool Corporation focuses its energy and water efficiency efforts on four
key areas:
1. Design and development

• Focused on creating even more resource-saving appliances as studies

show that 93 percent of life-cycle GHG emissions come from in-home
use
• Whirlpool Corporation manufactures and markets more than 300
ENERGY STAR®-qualified major appliances in the United States, plus
numerous ENERGY STAR®-qualified appliances in Canada, PROCEL
appliances in Brazil and Class-A appliances in Europe

1. Manufacturing

• Lessened power plant emissions through low-energy lighting and high-

efficiency equipment
• Participated in the EPA's voluntary emissions reductions program
• In process of discontinuing the use of volatile organic compound (VOC)
paints and eliminating emissions from their solvents

1. Product distribution

• Partnered with Smart Way Transport®, a collaboration between the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the freight industry to
increase energy efficiency while reducing carbon dioxide by 33 to 66
million metric tons and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide per year
by 2012
• Installed electric truck lifts in the United States, resulting in fewer net
emissions

1. End-of-life management

• Eighty-five to 90 percent of materials (steel and other metals, some

plastics) used in Whirlpool Corporation-produced products can be
recycled
• Pioneered efforts to safely dispose of ozone-depleting refrigerants
 • Reuse plastic foam that was previously sent to landfills; it’s now
ground up and made into plastic furniture, food containers, playground
equipment and other consumer products

GLOBAL SCENARIO OF WHIRLPOOL

COUNTRY KEY STATS BRANDS LOCATIONS

NORTH AMERICA Headquarters:
-No. 1 position in the United States Benton Harbor, MI
industry KitchenAid, Manufacturing
-$7.9 billion of sales Whirlpool, Locations:
-$810 million of Roper by United States
operating profit Whirlpool Laverne, TN;
-Approximately Corporation, Findlay, OH; Marion,
31,000 employees Estate, OH;
Gladiator Greenville, OH;
Canada Clyde, OH;
Inglis,Whirlpool, Benton Harbor, MI;
KitchenAid Evansville, IN; Fort
Mexico Smith, AR; Tulsa,
Whirlpool, Acros, OK; Oxford, MS
Supermatic, Canada
Crolls Montmagny, QC
Mexico Monterrey
EUROPE Operations
- No. 3 position in Whirlpool, Center: Comerio,
Western and Bauknecht, Italy
Central Europe Ignis, Polar, Manufacturing
 _ $2.7 billion in 2003 Laden in Locations:
sales France, KIC in France Amiens
_ $124 million in South Germany
2003 Africa Neunkirchen,
operating profit Schorndorf
_ Approximately Italy Naples, Siena,
14,000 employees Cassinetta, Trento
Poland Wroclaw
Slovakia Poprad
South Africa
Isithebe
Sweden Norrköping
ASIA Leader among Headquarters:
Western Whirlpool Hong Kong, PRC
companies, with No. Manufacturing
1 market Locations:
position in India India Faridabad,
_ $416 million in Pune, Pondicherry
2003 sales China Shanghai,
_ $7 million in 2003 Shunde
operating profit Whirlpool
_ Approximately
5,000 employees

Global strategies:
OPERATING REVIEW ON NORTH AMERICA:
Whirlpool North America operations posted a solid performance in
2003, despite economic uncertainty early in the year and a significant rise in
pension costs compared to 2002. Meeting these challenges with an array of
new product introductions and productivity measures, the region set new
records for sales and productivity, while further expanding consumer
demand for the company’s key North American brands, Whirlpool and
KitchenAid. Whirlpool North America operations made considerable head way
with several ongoing initiatives that put customer’s front and centre of all
our operations.

Other customer loyalty initiatives, driven by Whirlpool engineers,

designers and marketers, helped produce a number of outstanding products
that reached their first full year of sales in 2003. Among them were: the
Whirlpool Duet clothes washer and dryer pair—Whirlpool brand’s most
energy- and water-efficient washer and dryer pair—and the KitchenAid briva,
a unique in-sink dishwasher that supplements the cleaning needs of culinary
enthusiasts and meets the space constraints of small households.

In 2005, KitchenAid introduced the KitchenAid Pro Line series of major

and countertop appliances to consumers who are passionate about cooking.
The KitchenAid Pro Line series products feature distinctive design and
professional-level performance, plus personalized premium services that
include dedicated customer service, online recipes and culinary tips. The
Whirlpool Polara refrigerated range—which gives customers the freedom and
convenience to time and cook pre-prepared meals using the range’s
innovative cooling and cooking technologies—also was available nationwide
last year. The Whirlpool Polara refrigerated range is ideal for families with
busy daily schedules who still seek the intimacy of sit-down meals. As a next
step, pilot tests are underway to give customers remote control of the
Whirlpool Polara refrigerated range using cell phones.Other competitors in
north America like LG, Electrolux unlike Whirlpool did not focus on the
satisfaction of customers but they concentrated on the branding of their
products. This helped to gain the retention of the market share by whirlpool.
These Korean companies like Electrolux and all mainly concentrated on the
upgrading of the technology and more and more innovation only.

OPERATING REVIEW ON EUROPE:

Whirlpool Europe operations turned in strong performance

improvement in 2006, despite challenging economic conditions and weak
consumer demand that resulted in the most significant industry price
declines in several years. Revenue of $2.7 billion was up 22 percent.
Customer-focused initiatives and products in key European markets have put
Whirlpool Europe in a strong position to continue growing its business on the
continent.

For example, growing consumer demand for the company’s regional

portfolio of refrigeration products was reflected in the strong sales of the
Whirlpool Conquest side-by-side refrigerator. The operation extended its line
of popular refrigeration products with the introduction of the new Whirlpool
Symphony frost-free refrigerator, manufactured at the company’s facilities in
Brazil and customized to fit the unique lifestyles and expectations of
customers in Europe.

The region’s efforts to enhance its trade-partner relationships also

made significant headway in 2003. Whirlpool Europe further cemented its
strategic partnership with the IKEA group, a global retailer of home furniture
and furnishings. Whirlpool will provide exclusively a full range of appliances
—including built-in appliances—to IKEA regionally and worldwide. The
agreement helps extend the company’s European distribution capability and
expand its built-in business, particularly for cooking products.

The Whirlpool Dreamspace and Bauknecht big clothes washing

systems appealed to customers as well, because of their ease of use, energy
efficiency and innovative features. And the Whirlpool Mini-BI microwave oven
received strong consumer interest for its built-in convenience and style.

OPERATING REVIEW ON ASIA:

The company’s operations in China and India, Whirlpool’s largest

regional markets, continued to make deeper distribution inroads in 2003 into
the countryside from each country’s urban hubs, thanks to enhanced
partnerships with key retailers. The company also retained its No. 1 position
in India for refrigeration products. Another success was the Whirlpool White
magic Stain wash, the only clothes washer on the Indian market that can
completely remove common household stains without hand scrubbing.
Another unique Whitemagic Stainwash washer benefit for this Asian market
is that it is internationally certified by Woolmark, the global authority on
wool, as safe for the most delicate of fabrics.

Also first to India is the Whirlpool MagiCook 22Gsi with 6th Sense
steam function, the market’s only microwave oven with the capability to
steam cook. The oven’s 6thSense fuzzy logic features take guesswork out of
cooking by sensing the temperature and humidity of food items to establish
precise cooking times. These features also permit steaming to prepare many
Indian delicacies and crisping for pizzas and pastries.

Operations in India and China became increasingly important to the

company’s overall global operating platform. India, for example, increased
its year-over-year exports by 20 percent and expanded the number of
markets to which it exports. Whirlpool China continues to manufacture the
bulk of the company’s microwave ovens for world markets. China also is fast
becoming an integral supply source for the company’s global procurement
activities. Whirlpool Asia expanded its product development capabilities with
the opening of three new technology centers that support regional and
global products involving refrigeration, air conditioning and fabric care. The
new centers extend the company’s worldwide network of integrated
technology resources.

Whirlpool Ahead of competitors:

 Whirlpool doesn’t take any company as competitor to it. According to
the global market survey there are 3 major competitors LG, VIDEOCON,
G.E.

In comparision with the competitors

• Whirlpool is always a step ahead in taking the first advantage of

innovative production.
• It is always been the one who is in concern with the
environmental factors in its production patterns
• Localization of products specific to every lifestyle considering
every group as a unique entity
• Building of unmatched customer loyalty

Any of its competitors like L.G, VIDEOCON,G.E have not followed these
strategies as whirlpool did.

Suggestions of the day :

• Improvement in the visual perspective of the product ( the outer look
of the product) .
• Create a premium niche experience for few products which fit into that
category.
• Design of strategies in grabbing market from the upper middle class.
Conclusion:

Nearly five years ago, Whirlpool Corporation set out on a course to

reach the homes and hearts of customers around the globe. By listening
intensely to their customers, understanding their needs and desires, and
creating innovative solutions that meet and exceed those needs, Whirlpool’s
organizations worldwide are building unmatched levels of customer loyalty to
the brands.

“ Its about innovation, eco efficiency and the consumer”

The driving and the major elements the company considers are the
Innovation
Eco friendly in nature
Consumer
In this present world and in this emerging scenarios of business whirlpool has
exactly aimed on the aspects which it has to be.

“Through increased speed to market and international project

teams, we’re changing the way we do business.”
Time being the major concern for any person in the world the
company has attained a beautiful place in establishing a standard of
producing products and placing products delivering them on time when
needed

“I make quality products that help people express their personal

styles”
 Personal belonging toward s anything is a major aspect for a human
being in driving towards it interest in attaining it.so whirlpool has got its
uniqueness in producing products according to lifestyles of individuals.

References:
1. http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com
2. whirlpool annual report 2008.pdf
3. Implementing global marketing strategy.pdf
An interview with Whirlpool Corporation
Ilkka A. Ronkainen
School of Business, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA,
and
Ivan Menezes
Whirlpool Corporation
4. Building a House of Brands: Whirlpool Corporation’s
Blueprint for Success.pdf
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirlpool_Corporation