Whirlpool Appliance Repair in Oshawa

In 1911, Louis Upton and his uncle Emory Upton founded the Upton Machine Company. Prior to this, Louis worked as an insurance salesman and Emory owned a machine shop. Once he acquired a patent to a manual washing machine, Louis approached Emory regarding adding an electric motor. Lowell Brassford made a $5,000 investment and this was the start of what would eventually become the brand we know today as Whirlpool.

Initially, the company relied on Federal Electric as its main customer. When they started making their own washers, the Upton Machine Company was forced to branch out and they acquired Sears, Roebuck & Co as a client. In 1929, Upton merged with the Nineteen Hundred Washer Company of Bingham, New York. The company remained unaffected by the Great Depression and its factories were converted to armament production during WWII. In 1948, the company’s newly produced spinner-type washer was sold under the ‘Whirlpool’ name. In 1950, the brand was renamed as the Whirlpool Corporation.

Whirlpool acquired Seeger Refrigerator Company and the air conditioner and cooking range lines by RCA. In 1986, they acquired KitchenAid and, just two years later, it acquired a majority interest in Inglis, Canada. The Whirlpool brand grew over the years and went from strength to strength each year. They acquired a number of other brands and purchased shares in several brands over this time which increased their influence and revenue.

In 2006, the merger between Maytag and Whirlpool took place and this is how Whirlpool acquired major brands like Maytag, Jenn-Air, Magic Chef, Admiral, Amana, Hoover and more. Some of these brands were eventually sold off while other brands were acquired. In 2011, Whirlpool celebrated its 100th anniversary and this brought about a new corporate logo. While the Sears Holding Corp and Whirlpool reportedly ended their association in 2017, Whirlpool continues to supply appliances under the Kenmore brand name.