Whirlpool is an American company specialising in the design, manufacture and distribution of domestic appliances. Whirlpool is the world leader in this niche. Its name means "whirlpool", hence its logo.
Its origins date back to 11 November 1911, when brothers Louis, Fred and Emory Upton founded the Upton Machine Company in Saint Joseph (Michigan) to produce washer-extractors. Some of these machines were marketed under the Allen brand. Whirlpool enjoyed success after the Second World War and became the market leader in the United States. This enabled it to acquire Philips' domestic appliances division in 1991. Whirlpool was also approached by NASA for its GEMINI project (manned space flight programme). It also developed freeze-dried ice cream for NASA to improve the daily lives of astronauts...
Whirlpool has a turnover of 13 billion dollars and employed more than 69,000 people in 2013. As well as washing machines, Whirlpool also manufactures hoods, air conditioners, etc.