Whirlpool’s assembly lines have produced a diverse array of products that aren't found in kitchens or laundry rooms, such as air rifles, toys, threshing machines, lawnmowers and automobiles.
When Lou and Emory Upton started building electric motor-driven wringer washing machines 100 years ago, the world was a different place. Electrical appliances were considered to be luxury items.
What do metal water tanks, pickup trucks and RV chassis have in common? They’re all assembled in state-of-the-art facilities that were finalists for the 2011 Assembly Plant of the Year award.
The Assembly Top 50 devoted $110.6 billion to capital expenditures in 2010. That’s 9 percent more than they spent in 2009, but it’s 21 percent less than they spent in 2008. Only 15 of the Top 50 spent more on property, plants and equipment in 2010 than they spent in 2008.
In 2010, the Top 50 employed 6.86 billion people worldwide. That’s 4 percent more than they employed in 2009, but it’s slightly under the total for 2008.
During the past 100 years, Whirlpool has withstood labor unrest, mergers and acquisitions, product design changes, new technology, new materials, changing consumer tastes, globalization and restructurings. But, one thing has remained steady-its production prowess.