Who's Who in the Appliance Industry?

"Dave, aren't all appliances made by one company?"

I get asked this question, or some offshoot, by customers fairly regularly.  The answer, the short answer anyway, is "No."  

Now, having said that, there certainly has been consolidation over the decades.  Think of General Motors, which currently has four separate divisions: Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC (yes, I looked it up!)

In our industry there are several "parent" companies that utilize different labels, or "badges"

Let's start by taking a look at the Whirlpool Corporation.

Currently they manufacture appliances for the US market under many different names:

Kitchenaid and Jenn-Air are considered to be their premium lines.

Maytag and Whirlpool would be more mid to upper middle level.

Amana is more of an entry level line, geared for landlords and first time home buyers.

In some cases the products are simply extensions of one another.  There will be times however, especially when one looks at the premium lines, where changes can be more significant between models.  (Any of our sales professionals can help you sort through the different models!)

Now, back to my GM analogy.  General Motors has discontinued several lines over the years (Oldsmobile, Saturn, Pontiac come to mind.)  Likewise, Whirlpool (and other appliance companies) also will drop older brands.  For example, when Whirlpool purchased Maytag in 2006, the Magic Chef line, which was Maytag's entry brand, was discontinued.  Around that time, Whirlpool also dropped the "Roper" and "Estate" badges, essentially replacing them with the better known Amana label.  

Some appliance companies, such as General Electric, keep the

same brand but with different levels.  

Walk into one of our appliance showrooms and you will see models with GE, GE Profile, GE Cafe', and GE Monogram (in ascending order of features, quality, and price).  As with Whirlpool, it can be tricky to figure out when you are simply getting more features as you "step up" the lines, or when the product itself is different and better. 

(Full disclosure - GE does have two lines geared to the more budget conscious consumer,  Hotpoint and Haier, that do use their own monikers.  Yes, it can be complicated!)

Just in case you're bored reading by this point, check out this Hotpoint commercial from a time when Hotpoint was its own company starring Mary Tyler Moore (yes, THAT MTM!) made back in 1954:  (I remember this tidbit from an episode of the old "Biography" series.)

https://www.google.com/search?q=mary+tyler+moore+happy+hotpoint+commercial&oq=mary+tyler+moore+hotpoin&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCAgCEAAYFhgeMgcIABAAGIAEMgYIARBFGDkyCAgCEAAYFhgeMgoIAxAAGIAEGKIEMgoIBBAAGIAEGKIE0gEINzM1M2owajeoAgiwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:987be7fa,vid:1b0ypsUD7wY,st:0

Whirlpool and GE have the most divisions in our industry.  In case you wondered which other companies are aligned, I'll go over the rest.

Electrolux  has (again in ascending order) Frigidaire, Frigidaire Gallery, Frigidaire Professional, and Electrolux.

BSH (Bosch) also markets Thermador at the luxury level.

LG also has LG Studio as an upper level line.

Samsung has an upscale Bespoke line.

Then there are some manufacturers such as Danby, Summit, and Premier that primarily market to the more price-conscious consumer.  These lines tend to focus on "niche" appliances such as 20" and 24" ranges, smaller (under 14 cubic ft.) refrigerators, 18" wide dishwashers, and so on.

Is this confusing?  Yes, it can be at times.  If you are in the market and trying to work your way through the various brands and levels, let us help you!   Please call or visit any of our 11 showrooms (addresses and phone numbers are on the front page of our site, just to the left of where you clicked on this blog.)  We'll be happy to guide you through this maze, and help you pick the "right" appliance for your needs!