The Fat Lady Has Sung - Goodbye Maytag

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Whirlpool's purchase of Maytag was given the approval yesterday by the United States Justice Department/Anti-Trust division. The DOJ found no reason why Whirlpool should not be able to purchase Maytag, indicating that foreign appliance makers, though holding a small share of the domestic market currently, would and can keep pressure on the new "WhirlMay" to keep prices competitive.

Baring any unforseen problems, Whirlpool hopes to complete the purchase of Maytag by the closing bell on Monday.

 
Goodbye Maytag

Actually whatever turns out is going to be interesting. But whatever happens even if it's not positive will still never compare to the disaster when wci bought Frigidaire from General Motors! That will always be the worst appliance disaster ever made.
Peter
 
Hopefully it's only uphill from here, the Maytag we knew has been dying (or dead in many minds) for 10 years now. I'm happy for the people of Maytag, the working people - not the executives running around dragging their gold parachutes behind them. Regardless of what Whirlpool does with the factories and employees, those who have stock and pensions in Maytag will be able to at least have those cushions to help fund their retirements and/or job searches. The town of Newton, Iowa may not fare quite so well but from the talk of the people there, Whirlpool was the last hope for a gasping Maytag and they were well aware of the implications to their small Midwestern town, and had seemed to come to terms with the inevitable. Better to have it all go to Whirlpool than to China, I think.
 
I agree with Greg

its uphill from here, and hopefully brighter days are ahead. It still irritates me that they blame Hoover for their state of decay. Nothing came out of North Canton that wasn't sanctioned by Newton!
 
Dance around the Maypool

Now, will WP start offering washers in Maytag mechanism? Now we have a choice? Maybe put the DD mechanism in the lower end machines and use Maytag's Dependable Care mech in the mid to higher end machines.
 
I'm sure that one WP see the true production cost for MYG products, they'll be quick to close plants and change the product line around drastically. I don't have much hope for the poor Maytag name from here on out, not to mention Amana, Magic Chef and Jenn-Air
 
So it'll soon be just Kenmore, WP, and KitchenAid for high-end stuff, and the foreign machines.

All I want is the belt-drive mechanism to come back :-(
 
Let This Be A Lesson

To the corporations out there who are trying to pull the old "Faster, Better, & Cheaper" philosphy and push it down the throats of consumers.
Maytag made quite a few missteps cutting corners on their R&D to push their problem prone products to market. The public got wind of this, Maytag thought they could rest on the laurels of the brand name without changing anything and there you have it, the end of Maytag.
A lot of this problem comes from the executive speak "We have a responsibility to our shareholders, first and above all". What this actually means is that "let us pull our games, maybe raise the stock a little and then give ourselves BIG bonuses."
And when the end comes, have your golden parachutes all ready to go....
 
I saw this in The Maui News yesterday during my lunch break and I damn near started crying. It really is the end of an era, although the last 10-12 years of the era pretty much sucked!

The Maytag name means nothing to me anymore. When I was coming up, it was almost a religion.
 
I wonder what this means for the lonely repairman and his dog Newton? Maytag up until recently used to enter a float in parades and would even have it up here in Calgary for the annual Stampedes opening parade. The original guy who played the lonely repairman was a big hit, he'd then be at the grounds in the expo area and would also do an appearance at one of the larger appliances stores that sold a lot of Maytag. They still have an oversized wooden statue of him out front.
 
The Lonely Maytag Repair Man

started out being an advertisng gimmick for Polk Bros. a local Chicago appliance merchant from 1935-1992. Maytag like it so much they adopted it for use company wide. Polk Bros. started the gimmick after they read in a Consumer Reports magazine that rated Maytag and Sears the most trouble free washer & dryers. They couldn't sell Sears Kenmore, but they did sell Maytag. So to draw attention to this fact, they started the lonely Maytag guy.
I am reading a book titled "I Bought It At Polk Bros" an American Retailing Phenomena. That's where I got this tidbit of info from.
 
launderess

launderess

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Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage
It's A Done Deal

As of Friday,31 March, Maytag ceased to exist as an independent company. It is now a totally owned brand of Whirlpool.

My guess is those seeking certian parts and even appliances may wish to start stocking up. Whirlpool will not have long to make this deal "pay" in the eyes of Wall Street, so my guess is in addition to heads rolling,plants closing, we are going to see lots of other things go bye-bye.

Wonder how this merger affects Maytag's commercial division?

Launderess

 
"Actually whatever turns out is going to be interesting. But whatever happens even if it's not positive will still never compare to the disaster when wci bought Frigidaire from General Motors! That will always be the worst appliance disaster ever made.
Peter"

So true. Besides, the REAL Maytag was gone a few years ago. Their traditional washers and dryers, they could have kept making that design for a long time. Their dishwashers were always good.
Anyhow, Whirlpool is a good company also so that's good. At least it wasn't absorbed by Electrolux Europe.
I never really knew what WCI was, I know it stands for White Consolidated Industries, but what did they do BEFORE aquiring like 20 brands?
 

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