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motorized washers to the current market position of being world's number one
manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, has always set industry
milestones and benchmarks. The parent company is headquartered at Benton
Harbor, Michigan, USA with a global presence in over 170 countries and
manufacturing operation in 13 countries with 11 major brand names such as
Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Roper, Estate, Bauknecht, Laden and Ignis. Today,
Whirlpool is the most recognized brand in home appliances in India and holds a
market share of over 25%.
The company boasts of resources and capabilities beyond achievable feat of any
other in the industry. Whirlpool initiated its international expansion in 1958 by
entering Brazil. However, it emerged as truly global leader in the1980s. This
encouraging trend brought the company to India in the late 1980s. It forayed into
the market under a joint venture with TVS group and established the first
Whirlpool manufacturing facility in Pondicherry.
Soon Whirlpool acquired Kelvinator India Limited in 1995 and marked an entry
into Indian refrigerator market as well. The same year also saw acquisition of
major share in TVS joint venture and later in 1996, Kelvinator and TVS
acquisitions were merged to create Indian home appliance leader of the future,
Whirlpool India. This expanded the company's portfolio in the Indian subcontinent
to washing machines, refrigerator, microwave ovens and air conditioners.
It has derived its functioning principles out of an undaunted partnership with the
homemakers and thus a slogan of “You and whirlpool, the world's best
homemaker” dots its promotional campaigns. The products are engineered to suit
the requirements of ‘smart, confident and in–control' homemaker who knows what
she wants. The product range is designed in a way that it employs unique
technology and offers consumer relevant solutions.
Product range of the company includes:
Refrigerator
Washing Machine
Air Conditioner
Microwave
100% Dryers
Purafresh
Milestones:
1908: The first automatic washer was launched to public in late 1908, by
1900 Corporation which in 1911 was renamed to Upton Machine Company.
1911: Louis Upton founded the Upton Machine Company in that year to
produce motor–driven wringer washers.
1916: First order of washers was sold to Sears, Roebuck & Co.
1929: Upton Machine Company merged with Nineteen Hundred Washer
Company of NewYork .
1948: First 'Whirlpool' brand automatic washer with dual distribution was
introduced. It included two product lines one each was distributed through
Sears and Nineteen Hundred.
1957: The company was rechristened as ' The Whirlpool Corporation.'
1958: The company moved out of country for the first time and invested in
Brazilian appliance market through purchase of equity in Multibras S.A.
1968: The Elisha Gray II Research & Engineering Center was completed in
BentonHarbor. In the same year the company's revenues crossed the
legendary $1 billion mark for the first time.
1978: Within a decade company doubled its feat of $1 billion mark and
reached the $2 billion revenue level.
1986: The 'Kitchen Aid' division of Hobart Corporation was purchased.
1987: Whirlpool tied–up with Sundaram Clayton Ltd. of India to form TVS
Whirlpool.
1989: This was a historic year since the revenues catapulted to heights of
over $6 billion mark. Also, the joint venture with N.V.Philips of
Netherlands called Whirlpool Europe B.V. was formed to manufacture and
market appliances in Europe.
1990: The company established joint venture with Matsushita Electric
Company of Japan to produce vacuum cleaners for the North American
market.
1991: The company introduced and committed globally to its Worldwide
Excellence System, which is a TQM program dedicated to exceeding
customer expectations. The vision to globalize 'Whirlpool Corp'. was
realized in the same year.
1993: First time Whirlpool became the No.1 stand–alone brand in UK,
Ireland, Netherlands and Belgium
1995: Whirlpool Corp. acquired majority of stake in the TVS Whirlpool The
DC manufacturing facility of Kelvinator India was also acquired.
1996: Whirlpool Washing Machines and Kelvinator India Ltd. merged
together to form Whirlpool of India Ltd.
1998: This year gave birth to a new company vision that says, 'Every Home
Everywhere with Pride, Passion & Performance.'
1999: Whirlpool of India crossed the milestone of 1 million sales of
appliances.
2002: The ' Whirlpool Strategic Architecture ' was launched as a framework
to achieve the vision. The revenues of Whirlpool Corp. soared to $10.5
billion.
chievements/ recognition:
2001: Whirlpool India registered profit & sold 1.2 million appliances. It also
achieved the No.1 position in DC & FA.
2002: The Aircon range was successfully launched and the Whirlpool of
India acquired 6% market share.
2003: A new mission statement of 'Everybody creating loyal customers for
life' was adopted.
2006: Whirlpool Corporation acquires Maytag and become the world's
largest white goods company.
Whirlpool brand was named one of the 10 top greenest brands by U.S.
consumers, according to a 2008 BrandWeek magazine survey.
Received the 2009 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence award, the
company’s 10th ENERGY STAR award in 11 years.
2009: Named one of the “100 Best Corporate Citizens” by Chief
Responsibility Officer (formerly Business Ethics) magazine in 2009 and
from 2000–2007.
2009: Whirlpool was voted Product of the Year and received the award for
the 'Best Innovative Product' in the popular refrigerators category. This was
based on 40,000 consumers across 36 towns in India voting Whirlpool Frost
Free Refrigerators with 6th sense as the Best Innovation in the Popular
Refrigerator Category.
2010
–Whirlpool of India launches its Jet Chef and Family Chef Collection of
Microwaves
–Whirlpool launches 4 New Brand shops in Chandigarh
–Whirlpool redefines washing machines in India, launches the all new
Whirlpool ACE washstation'
–Launches new brandshops in Amritsar and Jalandhar
2011: Whirlpool Pondicherry Washer Facility Gold Award in Economic
Times Frost & Sullivan Manufacturing Excellence Award – 2011
2012:
–Whirlpool launches a new range of domestic products
–Whirlpool ACE Washing Machine received the Silver Medal in the
prestigious international Edison Awards for being the best new product in
the Lifestyle and Social Impact category.
–ICWAI National Award for Excellence in Cost Management – Silver
–Trophy for Export Excellence in EPO Service for outstanding export
performance'
2014: Whirlpool launched Protton 3–door refrigerators and 3D climate
control dual fan air conditioner.
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DIRECTORS' REPORT
The Directors' are pleased to present their 54th Annual Report and Audited Accounts for the year
ended 31st March 2015.
Performance of the Company
During the year ended 31st March 2015 the revenue from operations of the Company was Rs.
357,777 lacs as compared to last year's revenue from operations of Rs. 310,596 lacs up by
15.2%. Profit before tax was Rs. 30,052 lacs as compared to corresponding profit of Rs. 17,421
lacs in the previous year up by 72.5%.
Dividend
No dividend on equity shares has been recommended by the Board for the year ended 31st
March 2015 considering the future capital investment plans of the company.
Share Capital
The paid up capital of the company as on March 31, 2015 was Rs. 12,687.18 lacs. During the
year under review, the company did not issue any class or category of shares, Employee Stock
Options, Convertible securities and consequently no change in the capital structure since
previous year.
Subsidiaries, Joint Ventures or Associate Companies
The company does not have any subsidiary, joint venture or associate company during the
period of reporting.
MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS REPORT (MD&A)
As required under the listing agreement, MD&A is enclosed as Annexure A and is part of this
Report.
SALES & MARKETING
Underlying demand in the appliance industry improved in the financial year relative to previous
years but remained far below its true potential. We expect demand to improve as the economy
gathers momentum. The key areas that Sales and Marketing focused on were:
1. Improving our refrigerator product portfolio by successfully launching products in the mass–
premium segment of Frost Free refrigerators, and preparing to launch a whole new mass market
Direct Cool refrigerators range in the coming year.
2. Upgrading to C–Pentane across the entire refrigerators range to comply with new regulations.
3. Strengthening our top–load washers range with the launch of Superb Atom series in semi–
automatic and WhiteMagic with Express Wash in fully automatic.
4. Implementing Akraman 3.0 to drive conversion at the shop floor, with specific focus on
patented Crisp & Grill microwaves, 3D–Cool Extreme Air–Conditioners and Water Purifiers.
5. Increasing brand visibility with mainstream media advertising, in–shop merchandising, out–of–
home visibility devices, and enhanced digital presence online and through social networking
platforms.
6. Enhancing our e–Commerce initiative by partnering with Flipkart to establish a presence in the
fast growing e–tail space.
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Despite weak demand in global markets, our international business actively expanded into new
markets, namely Maldives, and achieved strong growth in Myanmar, Nepal and Fiji. The high
point of Exports was the significantly higher increase of shipments to Philippines driven by the
new range of Refrigerators and Washing Machines launched during the year. There were
challenges in major markets like Sri Lanka due to increased presence of local manufacturers.
The company addressed this by focusing on channel restructuring and expanded product range,
leading to growth in the last quarter of the year.
With focused retail initiatives and products developed with local consumer insights, we expect to
continue growing our International Business at a faster pace.
CONSUMER SERVICES
In the year under review, Consumer Service focused on two key deliverables:
– Deliver best–in–class service through differentiated service experience – 'Branded service'
– Evolve our partner operations to become a direct–to–home channel for selling Water Purifiers
Special focus was given to implement and execute business processes and to develop robust IT
system to improve organizational efficiency and business profitability. Key processes were re–
engineered and systems developed to empower people in the field, doing away with old manual
processes. Emphasis was given to processes in our Call Centers; agents now have tools to
assist consumers rectify the problem on their own. This not only provides quick resolution and
peace of mind to the consumer but also saves cost for the company by avoiding a technician
visit. 'Governing Principle Balanced Scorecard' continues to be the flagship governing tool
wherein Service Partners are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 on a set of service measures as well as
financial integrity parameters. The year has seen significant improvement in service rating scores
of category A and B Partners. The Consumer Service team has also kicked off an end–to–end
process automation for providing a 'differentiated service experience' to high end consumers.
Operating Excellence has been identified as one of the key elements in our new global strategic
framework. A team comprising representatives from each of the Whirlpool regions are in the
process of standardizing key consumer care processes globally. To start with, two processes are
now tracked globally on a regular basis.
Innovation continues to play a role in the Water Purifier business. We have got an encouraging
response to the Direct–to–Home model set up with Service Partners. New models launched in
the year through the DTH channel have done well. After–sales care being critical to the success
of the water business, exclusive Service Providers for Water business are being appointed in key
cities so that our follow–up for periodic maintenance increases, which will also result in an
increase in revenue.
Accessories, consumables and maintenance contracts sold through the Service channel
continue to grow steadily and contribute to the top line and profitability of the company.
HUMAN RESOURCES –
Winning through People
The year 2014–15 saw the Human Resource function take the lead in engaging the organization
to deliver outstanding business results. Being an "Employer of Choice" has been our stated
intent and to bring this alive we focused sharply on People Excellence, which unleashed
individual and collective talents, inspired a winning culture, and created competitive advantage
that delivered results beyond expectations.
Whirlpool, Asia South – ofwhich India is the largest unit – was awarded the Chairman's W–Award
for Employee Engagement. This acknowledges employees of Whirlpool of India to be the most
engaged team in the Whirlpool world. In a study conducted by Aon Hewitt, Whirlpool of India was
listed as amongst the top 11 Best Employers in India. This prestigious award makes Whirlpool a
part of an elite group of companies in the country.
The journey towards becoming a Best Employer, involved creating a robust talent pipeline for our
mid/senior managerial positions. Our Young Leader Program facilitated this objective by
identifying and nurturing young leaders from premium campuses. This was supported by our
LEAD Program that focused on creating better people leaders.
The year 2014–15 showed our continued focus on building strategic capability within the
organization. Initiatives like i–Grow, i–Drive and i–Learn focused on building go–to–market
capability in our sales, service and retail workforce. Besides building capability, these initiatives,
resulted in high engagement and instilled the spirit of winning amongst the employees.
Whirlpool is committed to enhance the industrial relations climate in and around its factories. This
year, too, our focus on the welfare of blue collared workers remained unabated. To promote
diversity even at that level, the Pune plant employed approximately 100 women workers in the
factory. Besides improving diversity and as a result an inclusive culture, the move enhanced
employment opportunity within the region.
The Human Resource function continues to be an active partner to the business, in its journey
towards making Whirlpool the Best Home Appliance Company of India. In total 1,560 number of
white collar employees were on the rolls of the company during the year ended 31st March 2015.