Last Gasp For Maytag?

[launderess]

Latest reports have the once great American Appliance maker, Maytag , not on such great footing.

If things do not improve soon, Maytag may be in serious danger of going bye-bye

Launderess

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[petek]

Not happy news in there for Maytag retiree's either.

 

[alr2903]

Laundress thanks for the update

I noticed about 3 weeks ago myg was @ $13.50, Hoover is plastic no more beats, as it sweeps,as it cleans. And poor maytag nothing i would really buy from them. There high end appliances do not offer anything really glitzy anymore either. I do sincerely feel bad for their employees current and retired. To me their "brand" has become so diluted from their mergers, you cannot identify their product a trend that started with the redesign of the center timer w/d it was distinctive and you could spot one in an appliance showroom a mile away. Now they look like everyone else if they even carry a Maytag product. Maytag upper level mangement is way out of touch. An elderly Great Aunt (who always bought maytags) purchased a Kenmore."She said at first she might just get the Maytag with the plastic tub, I am 82 it will last as long as I need it". Isn't that sad? Her disappointment with their product was evident. The store she was at did not even have a norgetag with the stainless tub.

 

[toggleswitch]

Changes @ Maytag

I understand the need to have bought Magic Chef to get a cooking line.
I understand the need to have bought Amana to get a refrigeration line.
But I do not understand why their classic Maytag engineered T/L washer was put out to pasture. WHAT were they thinking?

I think they should have kept the Amana engineered washer separate (under its own Amana badge)and marketed & advertised the heck out of the name-brand. I really do like the SS tubs and the engineering on those.

We won't even discuss the Netune F/L washer. What a waste of R&D money. Why, oh why, oh why would you adopt a tilted-tub design when europe basically dropped the design 40+/- years ago (too much weight on the rear bearings)

Even Maytag's dishwashers are OK.. (But I do hate the racking and the wash towers.)

I really do hope they recover.

Personal experience with W&D:

Mom's maytag W&D (circa 1965) were indestructible and they never had a repair. They lasted just over 25 years. And at the end when I would go over there and do 7 loads in a row they took it quietly and bravely. Eventually the dryer motor would overheat from the abuse, and the pulley in the back needed to be re-bolted to the drive shaft. Being it was gas heated the constant stress on the flexible gas connector from pulling out the machine to "tune-it up" @ the end was bordering on dangerous. **KABOOM** I couldn't convice her to get rid of it.. It was her first and only dryer till then. She finally backed-down to toss it out when the timer died. She bought another Maytag.......

 

[laundromat]

The old Dependable care models had a 2.7cu ft tub and nobody wanted to buy a washer with a tub smaller than a Whirlpool for more money.People who never owned or had any experience with a Maytag washer could care less about how many parts were in the transmission or whether the outer tub was porcelain or not.All they really cared about was price and capacity.Because of this Maytag first introduced the Performas(Norge with Maytags lable on it)and it sold so well that they decided to introduce a new line of washers to compete with GE and Whirlpool as far as price,features and capacity goes.

 

[alr2903]

Hello laundromat and toggle

I agree with you laundromat, but the point is there is a large and growing base of mature americans and they want to replace a maytag with a MAYTAG, That looks and sounds and works like a Maytag. That would also match that maytag dryer they have from back in the day that will probably out last 2 new ones. IMHO this is a group of consumers with money, although frugal, that will buy a replacement washer or dryer when one fails and probably not a set and nothing of their classic design is left to accomodate this market niche. A widow or widower, replacing only one machine, that has purchased maytag since their very first machine, will walk into a sales floor and find nothing familiar. As you pointed out that 2.7 cu ft. washtub served many of these people since the 1950's, so they are probably certainly by now single person households, I doubt if they care about a machine with a huge capacity, Most raised a house full of kids with a 2.7 cu ft. tub. One year CR commented Maytag has kept the look of its redesigned machines "distinctive". IMHO opinion they turned their backs on an entire sector of the market. Maytag had a wonderful product, Why reinvent the wheel?

 

[alr2903]

toggle ran out of room with my rant.

Their cooking line especially the gemini has been hit hard too. There have been problems with flash fires with the gemini oven, most people do not expect a 30 inch stove to explode in this day and age. Check out their homesite for recall info. Refrigeration MFG.evidently wasn't their thing either, unless your willing to relocate to Mexico. just my 2 cents.

 

[launderess]

Ironically one of Maytag's biggest problems is their reluctance (until now),to close plants/move off shore. IIRC the Newton plant is particular has the highest productions costs of any other Maytag plant, and is way out of line with competitors.

If the Dependable Care line was made out of Newton, the costs are just too much versus what Maytag can get the washer for. With so much of appliance sales coming from Internet, and big box/discounters (who are rapidly pulling a "Walmart" in terms of setting prices, what is an appliance maker to do?

Maytag "could" bring back the "DP" line, but wonder if the numbers would be there to justify production?

In any event Maytag is prolly going to be either bought or begin shifting more and more production off shore/selling rebadged appliances like the "Samsungs" as they have neither the cash for buildng new plants/nor it seems the innovation for research and devleopment of new appliances.

The days seem to be numbered also for the Newton plant, unless Maytag can get costs down for appliances produced there some how, they just cannot seem to afford to produce appliances there anymore.

It is the Maytag retiree's I feel sorry for. Why do I see a head line soon about the Feds taking over Maytag's pension fund/bankruptcy?

It's all too bad.

Launderess

 

[launderess]

More Maytag News

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/business/11468543.htm

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050423/BUSINESS04/504230321/1033

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/business/11470212.htm

 

[lightedcontrols]

DEAR MAYTAG,

Dear Maytag,

I'm so very sorry to see that you are having problems. Now it's time to get with it and make a comeback. Laundry is your forte. It's what you know how to do, and up until the last few years, you were doing it better that anyone else. Certainly there were other manufacturers that made MORE washers, but NONE had the quality of Maytag. You picked up other companies that you didn't need. Your business is LAUNDRY. You DON'T need cooking products, vacuum products, refridgeration, etc... so dump those companies that are holding you down. When I was young, if you had a Maytag washer, then it showed that you had enough sense to KNOW quality when you saw it. Lately however, I for one, don't see any Maytag Quality. Go back to doing what you know how to do.
The next problem is the union at the Maytag Newton manufacturing plant. At one time in the U. S. the unions were a much needed entity. They are WAY past their time. Get rid of the unions immediately, even if it calls for shutting down the plant for a time. Getting rid of them will be difficult as is getting rid of any organized type of crime. If you don't get rid of them, THEY WILL GET RID OF YOU as you can see from your proffit margins and earnings ratios. The union bosses make their money weather you do or not!
I hope to see you back on track soon. You know what you have to do. So do it! Mark

 

[MrX]

Bosch US style fridge actually made by Maytag!?

I have a Bosch branded US-style side-by-side fridge freezer bought here in Ireland and built to European voltage / plumbing specs.

However, I broke a drawer and re-ordered it from Bosch, a maytag box arrived!!

Obviously the units are made for Bosch by maytag / amana under contract.

 

[petek]

It's a shame really

Maytag washers were always considered TOL as I remember growing up. Hoover vas were as good or better and now the vacs are junk. Don't know about the washers. My mom bought a Maytag fridge about 10 years ago and she's quite happy with it except for the crisper drawers are too narrow for big celery. I was considering my next fridge might be a Maytag wide by side model when the time comes. I have a large GE side x side now for about 15 years and it's been great,,just too narrow for the pizza boxes and reaching behind for things.

 

[alr2903]

closed at $9.60

Launderess, by golly i believe you were right. alr2903

 

[gansky1]

$9.80 today +.20

I've been watching the stock for the last few weeks, it's amazing what management has done to this company. When Scott, Terry and I were in Newton, IA last August, the negative feelings toward Maytag were quite apparent...

Maybe it's time to buy a little stock, the name certainly is worth the price per share in a takeover...

 

[arrrooohhh]

My two cents...

Why is everything on the stock exchange these days?

If you ask me this is really whats killing Maytag and other similar companies because they are more concerned with the fickle finance market and keeping "investors" happy (more greed in our society - dont get me started on that).

Public listed companies seem all consumed with the bottom line and making profit than in producing quality products.

I guess that appliances are not a huge earner but its something we all NEED. If we move into a new home we NEED a fridge, washing machine and vacuum almost immediately. Someone has to serve this market.

 

[petek]

Still I think

If they upgraded the Hoover lineup,,retro-izing it with more metal they just might make a dent. So long as they don't do a GM ploy, taking a Chevette, giving it power windows and leather seats and calling it a Cadillac Cimarron. No old Cimarron owners here are there ducking..

 

[arrrooohhh]

I am sure that someone would be very interested in purchasing what was left of Maytag if worse came to worst. This is supposed to be the Era of the big brand name and Maytag is synonymous with appliances.

I agree with the comments about styling. So many washers all look the same, esp the ones I see on US manufacturers web sites. All one big knob on the right followed by two, three or four smaller knobs on a white background. And they ALL have that corkscrew agitator. It surely couldn't be expensive for each manufacturer to make their machines somewhat distinctive from the outside.

Ironically Maytag seems to be carving bigger slices of the pie in markets such as ours in Australia.

 

[roto204]

I wonder if this will play out like Commodore Business Machines did, where the international arm will long survive the American corporation...

 

[petek]

Could be

Nothing stopping say a company like Haier buying them out for the names

Aaarooh.. I see in Australia the Ronson brand is still used, is it the same company that used to be over here,, making lighters and small appliances..like my beloved Ronson Cook'n'Stir blender.