When did Maytag start to go bad?

[launderess]

Didn't save link to information but one also distinctly recall reading that at one point yes, Sears did own stock in Whirlpool, thus one's previous comments.

Sears and "Upton Machine Company" through various incarnations of Whirlpool names were together for near or over 100 years. For most of that time Sears had considerable say in what seems to one above and beyond any handshake agreement in workings of Whirlpool.

 

[cadman]

"seems to one above and beyond any handshake agreement in workings of Whirlpool"

That struck me as unusual, too. Though those are the words out of the Sears' representatives mouth when he awarded the Sears Excellence Award to the St. Joe division in 1965. And it was repeated prior by Elisha Gray, and years later in Whirlpool's corporate history during their silver anniversary. A PR move? I don't know. Hard to believe such a thing in today's world.

I was moving some boxes yesterday and did come upon a few decades worth of WP annual reports. In 1964, they offered an additional 731,747 shares of common stock. RCA sold off and held less than 1%. Sears, Roebuck and Co maintained their 4.6% share, with the Sears group itself holding a total of 7.5% of Whirlpool Corp.

I tried to back-track, but little was mentioned in prior years. Adding to search difficulty, they were technically the 1900 Corp before 1950, and the modern internet doesn't play nice with search queries the way it once did. It's a fascinating, but guarded topic. Some sources suggest significant Sears divestiture in the early '50s due to anti-trust concerns. This makes sense considering the number of government contracts WP took on throughout the 1950's and 60's.

The answers are out there, I'm just not sure they're on the internet.

 

[launderess]

"The answers are out there, I'm just not sure they're on the internet."

Probably because no one but persons like ourselves are interested enough to bother researching. *LOL*

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Aaaahhh, when Maytag started being GOOD...!

But how come it lost its HALO as in Halo of Heat?

Would it be possible to make a dryer like that today, with the heating element going all-around its drum?

Anyway, with the way I did my best to draw old GE's & Whirlpool's with my artistry skills combined with aging on an unavoidable decline, I give you the last serious-Maytag...

So, to wit:

-- Dave

 

[cassel]

The Halo of Heat was often referred to as the "ring of fire". Many users didn't clean the filter properly and the lint build up around the heating element would catch on fire.
FWIW