Here's a fun one! Follow along with the production of the last dryer produced at Whirlpool's St. Joseph, MI factory. Dec 1956.
"Last of the Best" - Production of the Final Dryer at WP St. Joe - 16mm Film
- Thread starter cadman
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Wow very cool to see a dryer like that being assembled. Love the gold color paint, I assume it was just gold color paint and not real gold leaf paint but who knows.
I do have to wonder what happened to those workers when the Dryer Division moved from Michigan to I assume Indiana.
I do have to wonder what happened to those workers when the Dryer Division moved from Michigan to I assume Indiana.
May 29th,1949 thru Dec 6th, 1956 - St Joe Dryer Div
Wow, that was fantastic! I love the step by step footage of each assembly point for the '57 Kenmore gas dryer. And so much smoking!
@unimatic1140 - if I had to guess Whirlpool was planning on using this space in St. Joseph for assembly of the Kenmore Turbomatic and Whirlpool Washer-Dryer Combination, once the dryer line was moved to Marion, OH.
Ben
Wow, that was fantastic! I love the step by step footage of each assembly point for the '57 Kenmore gas dryer. And so much smoking!
@unimatic1140 - if I had to guess Whirlpool was planning on using this space in St. Joseph for assembly of the Kenmore Turbomatic and Whirlpool Washer-Dryer Combination, once the dryer line was moved to Marion, OH.
Ben
So cool and special! I appreciate the handshakes at the end! Greg
Neighbor across the stret had that same gas Kenmore dryer until early 1970s.
Got a little choked up watching that. The same year my parents got married.
Whirlpool dryer assembly factory
Very cool thanks Cory that was a neat find, need that they made 1,187,000 dryers in just over seven years.
And it’s amazing that the factory in Marion Ohio has been building dryers now for nearly 70 years would be need to know how many millions have been produced in that factory.
Whirlpool still builds the best dryers in the industry one of my pleasurable jobs This afternoon was installing a brand new Maytag 27 inch dryer for a customer. It’s still an impressive well-made machine. It was neat to see the latest improvements that they’ve made. the customer wanted a hamper door dryer and they’re using a really nice hinge system on the door now where it doesn’t have the cheap little plastic door catch the door stays closed with the pressure of the springs in the hinges. The customer loved having the window in the door and even Moore. She loved the fact that you could press a button and have the light stay on to watch the load tumble.
John L
Very cool thanks Cory that was a neat find, need that they made 1,187,000 dryers in just over seven years.
And it’s amazing that the factory in Marion Ohio has been building dryers now for nearly 70 years would be need to know how many millions have been produced in that factory.
Whirlpool still builds the best dryers in the industry one of my pleasurable jobs This afternoon was installing a brand new Maytag 27 inch dryer for a customer. It’s still an impressive well-made machine. It was neat to see the latest improvements that they’ve made. the customer wanted a hamper door dryer and they’re using a really nice hinge system on the door now where it doesn’t have the cheap little plastic door catch the door stays closed with the pressure of the springs in the hinges. The customer loved having the window in the door and even Moore. She loved the fact that you could press a button and have the light stay on to watch the load tumble.
John L
Thanks, Cory.
Another gem, thanks Cory.
repairguy
Well-known member
Nice job Cory! It would be cool to stumble across this gold beauty.
Unfortunately, a drop down door dryer is not practical for me. In some ways, when the motor failed on the 1986 LK dryer, it was a blessing. Even that dryer was diffficult for me to reach items at the very back of the dryer and ended up falling at times trying to reach the back. That's wjhy I welcomed the Dependable Care TOL mechanical dryer in 1993 or 1994. Even with my current front load LG dryer on a pedestal, it's difficult for me to reach the very back. That dryer was delivered August 3 2021.
What a great look at an assembly line in 1956
Really cool to see the workers, working and trying to make a living for themselves and their families. Nice to see diversity in the workforce
Today, the workforce is much more diverse with a good percentage of women and others of many different races on the assembly line in Marion, Ohio the current home of Whirlpool dryer assembly.
As I mentioned in my post above, it was really nice this past Wednesday installing a new higher in Maytag 27 inch dryer with the hamper door for a good customer of ours and a beautiful home. They’re very particular about everything and to get a new product like this. That’s an absolutely perfect condition and works perfectly and satisfies. They are very critical expectations.
The same customer has a seven year-old Speed Queen top load washer in the past three years they’ve gotten a new bottom freezer. Amana Iowa built KitchenAid refrigerator and a new Tulsa Oklahoma built KitchenAid gas range.
The only non-US product they have a Bosch dishwasher about seven years old. She said we learned our lesson. It just doesn’t seem like a well designed product, but it does work. Dian said the next time it’ll be a KitchenAid.
John L
Really cool to see the workers, working and trying to make a living for themselves and their families. Nice to see diversity in the workforce
Today, the workforce is much more diverse with a good percentage of women and others of many different races on the assembly line in Marion, Ohio the current home of Whirlpool dryer assembly.
As I mentioned in my post above, it was really nice this past Wednesday installing a new higher in Maytag 27 inch dryer with the hamper door for a good customer of ours and a beautiful home. They’re very particular about everything and to get a new product like this. That’s an absolutely perfect condition and works perfectly and satisfies. They are very critical expectations.
The same customer has a seven year-old Speed Queen top load washer in the past three years they’ve gotten a new bottom freezer. Amana Iowa built KitchenAid refrigerator and a new Tulsa Oklahoma built KitchenAid gas range.
The only non-US product they have a Bosch dishwasher about seven years old. She said we learned our lesson. It just doesn’t seem like a well designed product, but it does work. Dian said the next time it’ll be a KitchenAid.
John L
I, too, was curious about the fate of that golden dryer. It seems like WP (understandably) chose to focus on Marion as the news story. And considering the growth and chaos from '55-57 with mergers, acquisitions, and production changes, there were plenty of other exciting things taking precedence in their newsletters.
But not for nothing....How about a 16-foot tall dryer?
But not for nothing....How about a 16-foot tall dryer?
Too bad they didn't have the 16 ft washer to go with it with a gigantic Surgilator. THAT would of been the icing on the cake !....
What happened to that gold dryer?
Does anybody know?
Did/does WP have a museum of its machines like Maytag did in Newton IA?
Does anybody know?
Did/does WP have a museum of its machines like Maytag did in Newton IA?
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