Lads!
Maytag was in trouble, deep trouble and there wasn't any real way for them to right that ship without huge investments in capital. This along with perhaps more innovative and far thinking management that could turn things around.
https://www.twice.com/product/maytag-appliance-sales-drop-28-111-billion-37776
Since about 1960's or 1970's there long had already been a slow consolidation of American white goods manufacturing market. Just look at how many brands were owned by Maytag, Whirlpool and WCI alone.
General Electric was then one of the only other major appliance makers still running under their own banner, and look what happened to GE Appliances eventually.
Against everything else going on was rise of Asian imports (Samsung, LG, etc...) who were bringing innovative washers and dryers to USA market.
Maytag needed to either go big or go home. Perhaps they may have survived as strictly a major player in laundry market like Alliance Systems is trying to do; but that would have meant stepping up their game on commercial side of things as well. Carnage on that end of things has been nearly or just as bad as residential with many brands of industrial/commercial laundry appliances going out of business or acquired by someone else.
Again challenge thought that Neptune washers were not necessary for Maytag. That was the one shining point in innovation which should have turned Maytag's fortunes around. If they didn't do it then (and was first out of gate), Maytag would have had to play catch up after Whirlpool brought out their Duet line, and of course now there are offerings by LG, Samsung, Speed Queen, Electrolux, and others.
Great and well loved as they were days of traditional Maytag top loader were numbered. New and ever increasing energy restrictions coming out of Washington, D.C. require changes in design for top loaders that Maytag either wouldn't or couldn't make. Meanwhile under Whirlpool those changes were made, but less said about Maytag top loaders today the better.
Depending upon who one wishes to believe Maytag's costs were too high in good part to generous employee benefits, inefficient manufacturing plants and few other bits.
Whirlpool managed to weather loss of being dominate supplier of all sorts of appliances to Sears. Maytag OTOH took a hit splitting with Best Buy.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/maytag-pulls-plug-on-best-buy-appliance-sales
Fisher & Paykel had a relationship with Maytag going back to 1930's. If Maytag was in any position to buy anyone it should have been F&P if for nothing to get at their patents and R&D. FP produced top loaders that were energy efficient and had pretty good capacity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_&_Paykel
