Whirlpool Plans To Take Over The World!

[launderess]

Alliance Laundry Systems

Owns several of the largest commercial brand names in laundry appliances: Speed Queen, UniMac, Primus, Huebsch and IPSO. They are quite well off where they are and cannot see why they ever would get into domestic white goods such as ranges and ovens.

Domestic washing machines and dryers are a natural offshoot from OPL so that is understandable.

What should and one wishes would happen is for Whirlpool to give up some of the brands it acquired when it gobbled up Maytag. Chambers ranges/stoves for instance,

 

[warmsecondrinse]

This brings to mind a book I read in the 70's. It's nominally a sci-fi guy-meets-girl, but really more a social commentary. A HS senior from mid-1970's gets thrown 100 or so years into the future. His arrival accidentally thwarts an attempt to kidnap girl. Girl's daddy runs Syncom, the largest company in the world. Kidnapping was orchestrated by TranSystem, the second largest company. Adventures ensue, taking all over the planet.

Real story is the guy's observations of society and the 'recent' history he pulls out of the girl: Starting in the late 20th century, demands on governments (worldwide) slowly began to outstrip their resources to meet them. Businesses slowly start filling in the gap. By the mid-21st century most international problem/conflicts/crises are solved by corporations with investments in the conflict area renegotiating their arrangements, thereby defusing the conflict. By the time of the story, countries' governments are more figureheads than anything else.

How/why did nobody object? Corporations made sure that each time they acted, that when they were done just enough of the bottom strata of the population in question was just enough better off that they went along with it.

No matter what a person's socio-economic status, his life was always just that tiniest bit better than his parents' that he didn't rock the boat. It was total bread & circuses (fed by media, of course) coupled with just enough real quality of life improvement that nobody rebelled. Meanwhile, everything one bought for his house was made by the same big company. Perceived differences among brands was 99% just that: perception.

It amazes me how much of it has come true. I'd like to re-read the book, but I can't remember either the title or the author :-(

 

[arbilab]

I know I'm on the verge of wearing this out, but see the Mike Judge film 'Idiocracy'. H.G. Wells' future-fi took about 60 years to become fact. Idiocracy came out in 2006 and it's already here.

 

[washer111]

So Whirlpool is in bed with the D.P.R.K? (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

 

To me, the brands listed on that page linked appear good, except "Indesit." That would is too close to "Indecent" to me. 

 

[iej]

Reminds me of Mondolez - buying Cadbury's, Milka, Toblerone and others like France's LU biscuits and then playing with the recipes and producing horrid combinations like putting Oreos into Cadburys and Milka.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Sort'a like Raytheon owning Amana...

Bring on the Missiles! (Picturing in the form of an Editorial Cartoon of a crashed missile into a certain site...)

 

 

-- Dave

[this post was last edited: 10/11/2015-00:42]

 

[alr2903]

Somehow I thought Maytag owned Garland ranges before the WP deal? Seems we are in one of the merger mania times again, Walgreens & Rite Aid come to mind.

 

[arbilab]

Might have gone under many radars but in the last year virtually all cable companies tried to take over virtually all the other ones but were rebuffed by FCC.

It's damn seldom I get to say Fed regulators did the right thing. Wanna blame Obama? Certainly the cable operators do. But even W would say "everybody can't buy EVERYbody". (Or would he?) (Come to think of it....)

Probly 'helps' that cable operators are high among the most despised utilities. Cable is already my 3rd highest bill after rent and food. Their ads say "we don't tie you to a contract then raise prices twice a year". They just raise prices twice a year and you can go somewhere else if you don't like it.

But wait, cable operates as a regionally-franchised monopoly. There isn't 'another cable' you can buy if you don't like yours. You can go to satellite or go to hell (customers ask "what's the difference?"). Cable and satellite operators raise their prices cyclically with penny-per-dollar excuses and no recourse, contract or no.

Then there's the US prescription drug price scandal. Let's face it, the game is "what can you get away with?