Based on my recent visit to Newton, and previous post, this is what I felt called to do.
Maytag Corporation
Attention: Mr. Hake, CEO, Maytag Board of Directors
403 W 4th St. N.
Newton, Iowa 50208
"In all business, there is a factor which cannot be compensated for in dollars and cents or computed by any measure. It has not relation or connection with the mercenary and is represented only by the spirit of love which the true craftsman holds for his job and the things he is trying to accomplish." F.L. Maytag
This letter is written to you several years too late. Sometime in the 90’s, I heard that Maytag’s were not all going to be manufactured in Newton, Iowa any longer, and although the label read "Maytag," it would not be "Your Mother’s Maytag." Than I noticed that Maytag’s were being made with plastic tubs. It was because of this I bought a new Dependable Care Maytag set in 2000, which to date has never been plugged in or used. I bought it because I feared that these appliances, which were known for their outstanding quality, would be disappearing. This letter should have been written and sent at that time.
The current state of affairs at Maytag affects me deeply. In an age where the United States is loosing its identity more and more every day, there are anchors that Americans hold onto very tightly, in part due to nostalgia, but mostly due to a sense of identity. The history of the Maytag company is as "apple pie" as any patriotic hymn could allude to. On top of that, the quality reputation that Maytag had was understood to be the best recipe for apple pie ever put in a Dutch oven.
Whatever bad investments or decisions that have been made are in the past and can be a great learning tool. It seems to me that the vision of E.H. Maytag and F.L. Maytag has been long forgotten. On a recent visit to Newton, I couldn’t help but be reminded of that as I visited their graves. They are neglected with overgrown grass and weeds. What a parallel to the state of affairs in the Maytag Corporation. I was reminded of this again at the Maytag Dairy Farm. Everything is still done by hand, even turning the wheels of cheese. When I asked if there wasn’t machinery that could automate a lot of their labor some processes, the answer was, "Yes, but we are not sure that we could retain the quality we are now known for, and are simply not willing to risk it." At what point did the appliance sector forget this philosophy?
I am nothing close to being a business analyst, and do not pretend to have insight in to the stock market. I am a person interested in a quality product but more importantly, for the first time in my life, feel passionate about what I view as a piece of Americana that is disintegrating before our eyes. Not to mention the effect this is having on the residents of Newton. The heights that Maytag reached amid the corn fields of this little community simply define the American Dream.
Aluminum experts of the early 1900’s told Maytag that casting a single process aluminum tub could not be done. Maytag would not take no for an answer, and defying all odds, the "Gray Ghost" wringer washer was born in 1919. This spirit sent wringer washer sales skyrocketing, and was the beginning of Maytag as we have known it.
My hope is that Maytag could return to the spirit and quality in which it was founded on. The same dedication that mirrors the American dream, not taking no for an answer, offering a product above all others, with an end result that would conquer its current struggles. Am I alone in thinking that Americans would again purchase a superior quality appliance that costs more than the inferior competitor, but lasts longer and has fewer problems? The fact that the lonely old Maytag repairman is no longer used in ads, tells us that he is not so lonely anymore. Could Maytag rise from the current sad state of affairs and regain a reputation of quality? I believe it so or I wouldn’t write you this letter.
"I learned early that the poorest time to let down and to slacken my efforts was when trouble was bearing down upon me. Many discouraging situations needed situations needed only one thing to make them turn out right-work. And because of this, many complications disappeared before work like mist before the morning sun."
F.L. Maytag
Most Sincerely,
Donald Shier
2536 112th Ave NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55433
Maytag Corporation
Attention: Mr. Hake, CEO, Maytag Board of Directors
403 W 4th St. N.
Newton, Iowa 50208
"In all business, there is a factor which cannot be compensated for in dollars and cents or computed by any measure. It has not relation or connection with the mercenary and is represented only by the spirit of love which the true craftsman holds for his job and the things he is trying to accomplish." F.L. Maytag
This letter is written to you several years too late. Sometime in the 90’s, I heard that Maytag’s were not all going to be manufactured in Newton, Iowa any longer, and although the label read "Maytag," it would not be "Your Mother’s Maytag." Than I noticed that Maytag’s were being made with plastic tubs. It was because of this I bought a new Dependable Care Maytag set in 2000, which to date has never been plugged in or used. I bought it because I feared that these appliances, which were known for their outstanding quality, would be disappearing. This letter should have been written and sent at that time.
The current state of affairs at Maytag affects me deeply. In an age where the United States is loosing its identity more and more every day, there are anchors that Americans hold onto very tightly, in part due to nostalgia, but mostly due to a sense of identity. The history of the Maytag company is as "apple pie" as any patriotic hymn could allude to. On top of that, the quality reputation that Maytag had was understood to be the best recipe for apple pie ever put in a Dutch oven.
Whatever bad investments or decisions that have been made are in the past and can be a great learning tool. It seems to me that the vision of E.H. Maytag and F.L. Maytag has been long forgotten. On a recent visit to Newton, I couldn’t help but be reminded of that as I visited their graves. They are neglected with overgrown grass and weeds. What a parallel to the state of affairs in the Maytag Corporation. I was reminded of this again at the Maytag Dairy Farm. Everything is still done by hand, even turning the wheels of cheese. When I asked if there wasn’t machinery that could automate a lot of their labor some processes, the answer was, "Yes, but we are not sure that we could retain the quality we are now known for, and are simply not willing to risk it." At what point did the appliance sector forget this philosophy?
I am nothing close to being a business analyst, and do not pretend to have insight in to the stock market. I am a person interested in a quality product but more importantly, for the first time in my life, feel passionate about what I view as a piece of Americana that is disintegrating before our eyes. Not to mention the effect this is having on the residents of Newton. The heights that Maytag reached amid the corn fields of this little community simply define the American Dream.
Aluminum experts of the early 1900’s told Maytag that casting a single process aluminum tub could not be done. Maytag would not take no for an answer, and defying all odds, the "Gray Ghost" wringer washer was born in 1919. This spirit sent wringer washer sales skyrocketing, and was the beginning of Maytag as we have known it.
My hope is that Maytag could return to the spirit and quality in which it was founded on. The same dedication that mirrors the American dream, not taking no for an answer, offering a product above all others, with an end result that would conquer its current struggles. Am I alone in thinking that Americans would again purchase a superior quality appliance that costs more than the inferior competitor, but lasts longer and has fewer problems? The fact that the lonely old Maytag repairman is no longer used in ads, tells us that he is not so lonely anymore. Could Maytag rise from the current sad state of affairs and regain a reputation of quality? I believe it so or I wouldn’t write you this letter.
"I learned early that the poorest time to let down and to slacken my efforts was when trouble was bearing down upon me. Many discouraging situations needed situations needed only one thing to make them turn out right-work. And because of this, many complications disappeared before work like mist before the morning sun."
F.L. Maytag
Most Sincerely,
Donald Shier
2536 112th Ave NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55433
