What Company Makes What?

[maytagbear]

Woods and Frigidaire

are the two companies who currently make freezers for North American labels.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[timborow]

Whirlpool or not?

My Kenmore washer says mfd. for Sears Roebuck in HOffman Estates, IL.
model 20922990
serial CJ4947022

Can anyone tell what year it was made?

Tim

 

[spinout]

Okay, here are two known prefixs for Kenmore:

Most WP built appliances will have the prefix 110. So a model # will follow the format 110.xxxxxxxx In many cases (prior to year 2000) the first 2 digits following the period were the model year; e.g., 110.73xxxxx means Whirpool built 1973 model. This date format was followed absolutely until 1970; after that date, they may not strictly adhere to the format, although I have never seen a deviation until 2000.

Similarly, GE uses the prefix 363.

Sorry, but I do not remember the others offhand.

Interestingly enough, the 209.22990 mentioned in the post above is a WP DD design. I don't know why it is a 209 prefix however.

Sears uses this same method of identifying the vendor/manufacturer throught all of their lines.

Hey, can someone tell me where the WP manufacturing plants are? And which are the W, M, and C that are in the serial numbers?

Thanks.

 

[timborow]

My mistake

Thanks Spinout for the info. I checked that number again. It does have a very small 110 before the 209. So I guess it is a Whirlpool made machine. Probably made in 2000. Thanks again, Tim

 

[drewz]

Trying to capture market share from Whirlpool?

Couple of interesting items;

GE started using RCA name plate on major's since they purchased RCA in 1986, and since has sold and dismantled a once great company. Using RCA did not bring up GE's sagging appliance market share, thought was that old timers would think is was the same as those great RCA Whirlpool appliances.
Later the RCA was dropped by GE in major's.

When still Radio Corporation of American, RCA wanted to unload their "Estate" appliance line and thus formed a venture with Whirlpool to market under the RCA Whirlpool label this helped transition all major's over to Whirlpool from RCA and thus RCA was out of the appliance business.

And let's not forget in Canada Whirlpool also marketed appliances under the "Victor" name in the mid to late 1960's, these are very rare, I have a brochure for a dryer and have been told that there are models with Nipper & the Victrola on the appliances. These are Whirlpool appliances under the "Victor" name not like those in Europe under the HMV name.

 

[Cybrvanr]

Big stores versus the little guy

One of the big factors that makes a small, locally owned appliance shop so much better than the big guys is very simple. In a small shop, the salespeople, Installation techs, repair techs, managers, etc communicate very easily, and it's all under the same roof. In many instances, people do double duty. For example, a sales rep may install the equipment too.

For example, when there is nobody in the store, the sales clerk may go in the back and chat it up with the repair tech. The repair tech may mention that they've seen a run on repairs on XYZ model machines. That is info that person can then take back to the floor with them, and give good information to a prospective buyer.

At Sears, the service departments operated out of a separate building than sales, and during the time I was there, the guys doing the tech work NEVER saw the guys doing the selling! Considering that Sears (and many other big box stores) hire salespeople based on different criteria...much of which does not involve technical knowledge...there is a total disconnect between what is out there and how it performs, and what the stores are pushing out the door.

 

[magic clean]

Timborow, your washer according to the serial # CJ49 was produced the 49th week of 1999. "J" was the designation for 1999, K was 2000 & so on.

Spinout, Whirlpool factories in the U.S and their serial # prefix I.D. are:

C=Clyde Ohio, all top load washers
M=Marion Ohio, all clothes dryers & thin-twins
F=Findlay Ohio, all dishwashers, except drawer models
W=Greenville Ohio, KitchenAid countertop appliances
E=Evansville Indiana, top mount refrigerators & ice machines
Q=Lavergne Tennessee, Built-in refrig, A/C's, dehums & HEPA air filters
S=Ft. Smith Arkansas, Side by side refrig, icemakers & compactors
X=Oxford Mississippi, Wall ovens, cooktops & KitchenAid ranges
R=Tulsa Oklahoma, Freestanding gas & electric ranges