Whirlpool receives several Top Ratings from Consumer Magazine

Whirlpool, the company that produces more appliances in the United States than any other appliance manufacturer, received several top ratings by consumer magazine in the refrigeration, cooking, and dishwasher categories. Whirlpool was named number 1 in the French door bottom mount, conventional bottom freezer, built-in refrigerator, and duel fuel range categories.  The company received best buy ratings with the electric smooth top and induction cooktop and over the range microwave models.

Source: Appliance Service News, November 2011 Issue

Tags: Consumer Magazine, Whirlpool

GE Joins Federal Program to Recycle Refrigerators/Freezers

General Electric Appliance and Lighting has been the first U.S. major appliance manufacturer to join a movement to direct appliances beyond repair into a recycling program. GE has taken the initiative to aid retailers in becoming involved with the Responsible Appliance Disposal program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The program was created to ensure responsible disposal of the foam insulation found in refrigerators and freezers. The insulation foam can break down in landfills and emit ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere it not disposed of in the proper fashion.  GE has also decided to provide its retailer participants with in-store point-of-purchase materials, online marketing and advertising.   Unlike similar programs made mandatory in countries like Japan, the Responsible Appliance Disposal Program is voluntary.

Source: Appliance Service News, November 2011 Issue

Tags: appliance disposal, GE, recycle

JD Power Announces 2011 Appliance Consumer Satisfaction Survey Results

J.D. Power and Associates announced the results for their annual consumer satisfaction survey. The study was based on consumers who purchased major household appliances within the last 24 months. The survey showed that the number of consumers who find energy efficiency to be the top category to consider on the increase in comparison to years past. Appliances were rated in six factors: ease of use, features, performance and reliability, styling and appearance, warranty, and price.  Samsung was the big winner, ranking number one in the washer and clothes dryer categories and second in customer satisfaction with refrigerators.

Source: Appliance Service News, November 2011 Issue

Tags: Samsung

Whirlpool Tours 50 Cities This Year

Last month, Whirlpool launched its second annual Great American Road Trip. This 50 City tour will provide thousands of sales associates with the latest in product training on appliances from Whirlpool, Maytag, and KitchenAid.  During each session, one person will win a new Whirlpool microwave and all in attendance will be entered to win the grand prize of a Maytag Laundry Pair or High Performance Kitchen Suite.  The tour will wrap up November 11, 2011, Whirlpool’s 100^th anniversary.

Source: Appliance Service News, November 2011 Issue

Tags: KitchenAid, maytag, Whirlpool

Sharp’s New Washer/Dryer Saves Time by Drying on a Hanger

The Sharp Corporation announced that the company will release a line of top-loading washer/dryer combos that will accept clothes on hangers. The machine will have specific hangers that will attach to a bar in the inside of the machine’s lid. Using a hanger to hang the garments vertically cuts down on drying time.

The appliances inner drum is about 7 inches larger than that of Sharp’s conventional washer/dryer making the hanger technology possible. The unit’s outer lid has the sealing function that therefore eliminates the need for an inner seal.  This feature also makes it possible to load and unload easier.

The ES-TX810 will retail for $1,695 and the larger capacity ES-TX910 will be priced somewhat higher.

Source: Appliance Service News , November 2011 Issue

Jack Truong new leader at Electrolux Major Appliances North America

Jack Truong has been named the new president/CEP of Electrolux Major Appliances North America and the Executive Vice President of AB Electrolux. On August 1, 2011 Jack succeeded Kevin Scott, who left the company after 8 years of service.  Kevin McLoughlin, Electrolux president/CEO, says “At 3M [Jack Truong] demonstrated the ability to accelerate growth by applying new technologies and marketing. His experience and track record will be crucial in helping to ensure our long term growth, high impact new products and cost efficiency.”

Source: Appliance Service News, October 2011 Issue

Tags: electrolux

Cuba lets Citizens buy Inefficient Appliances

In 2003, Cuba banned the sale of energy wasteful appliances in the country. The ban was made in efforts to get Cubans to switch to more energy efficient appliances to decrease the strain on the country’s aging electrical grid. Citizens rejected the new appliances as they were smaller and did not have the same capacity as the older, less efficient models. 

This August, the Cuban Government gave in, allowing citizens to buy less efficient products (mostly from Mexico) stating improvements to the electrical grid as the reason for change.

Source: Appliance Service News October 2011 Issue

Haier Voluntarily Recalls Switch in Washer/Dryer Combo

Haier America has set in motion a voluntary corrective action to replace a possibly faulty switch in all model HWD1500 combo washer/dryers manufactured in the year 2010. The switch can reportedly overheat causing a potential fire hazard. Replacement of the switch will be done in both customer homes and in retail inventories. Haier will no longer produce that particular model and will introduce a new model HWD1600 that will include the new selector switch.

Source: Marcone World, September 2011 Issue

Tags: Haier, Recall

Court rules in favor a Whirlpool over LG once again

Whirlpool wins against LG for the third time this year. Recently, a federal court ruled in favor of Whirlpool in the last remaining lawsuit filed by LG. LG brought the case in hopes of banning Whirlpool from using the word “steam” to describe its line of steam dryers. The United States District Court in Chicago, Illinois found that Whirlpool’s dryers do, in fact, use steam. LG did not produce any retailers or customers who expressed any confusion.

Whirlpool demonstrated in court that that its design was different from that of LG. Whirlpool steam dryers combine existing heat resources with automatic water mist to create steam inside the dryer’s drum. LG’s system uses a manually-filled external water cartridge that must be filled with cold water before each use.

Source: Marcone World Magazine, September 2011 Issue

Tags: LG, steam dryer, Whirlpool

LG Presents the Largest-Capacity French-Door Fridge on Market

LG sent a new French-door refrigerator/freezer to market in late July. It is claimed to be have the largest capacity of any appliance of its kind. Model LFX31925 is 31-cu.-ft and includes a variety of freshness features. The refrigerator offers consumers more storage space for food as well as a way to keep the food fresher for a longer period of time.

The increase in capacity is made possible by relocating the ice system to the inside of the refrigerator’s door. The relocation allows for more door bins and frees the top shelf from obstructions. LG also reduced the insulation’s thickness level by 23% without decreasing the effectiveness.

The suggested retail price for this model is $2,999.

Source: Appliance Service News, October 2011 Issue

Tags: capacity, French-door, LG