BENTON HARBOR, Mich.,
Dec. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today
Whirlpool Corporation filed an antidumping petition with the U.S.
Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission
to stop Samsung and LG's dumping of washers into the United States. The petition outlines a
long-term, repeated pattern of pricing below cost by Samsung and LG
that is injuring American washer manufacturers and threatening
American manufacturing jobs.
"Simply put, beginning in 2013, Samsung and LG replaced their
dumped washers from Korea and Mexico with dumped washers from China," said Marc
Bitzer, president and chief operating officer for Whirlpool
Corporation. "Since then, Samsung and LG have blatantly ignored a
previous U.S. government order by continuing to dump washers into
the United States. At Whirlpool,
we know that open, rules-based trade ensures the highest level of
innovation and choice for consumers. Our ability to innovate,
invest and continue to manufacture here in the U.S. is undermined
when foreign competitors willfully defy U.S. government rulings. We
have continuously monitored this situation during the past several
years and have spent the past several months preparing this
petition as the next step in an ongoing effort to prevent this
serial dumping."
The current petition covers full-size top-load clothes washers
and full-size front-load clothes washers. It also includes certain
washer components for large residential clothes washer cabinets,
tubs and baskets/drums.
Whirlpool Corp. filed this petition seeking enforcement of
United States and international
trade laws. Enforcing trade rules will level the playing field for
the U.S. appliance manufacturers. This includes Whirlpool
Corporation's 22,000 employees across the U.S. - which encompass
15,000 manufacturing workers located in nine plants across the
country.
In 2013, the U.S. government found that Samsung and LG were
unlawfully dumping large residential clothes washers exported to
the United States from their
production facilities in South
Korea and Mexico. In
response, Samsung and LG moved their washer production for
the United States to China skirting the order.
Anticipated Timeline:
December
2015
|
Whirlpool Corporation
files antidumping petition
|
July 2016
|
U.S. Department of
Commerce expected to release its preliminary
antidumping determination
|
December
2016
|
U.S. Department of
Commerce expected to release its final antidumping
determination
|
January
2017
|
U.S. International
Trade Commission expected to release its final determination
regarding injury to the U.S. clothes washer industry caused by the
dumped imports
|
January
2017
|
Final orders
published, assuming issuance of final affirmative determinations
from U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. International Trade
Commission
|
Background about Prior Case
In 2013, the U.S.
Government approved trade remedies covering dumped and subsidized
washer imports produced by Samsung and LG in South Korea and Mexico. Rather than complying with the order,
Samsung and LG instead decided to evade these remedies by moving
their production operations to China. To learn more about the previous case,
visit our corporate website at WhirlpoolCorp.com/fair-trade.
Whirlpool Corp. in the U.S.
More than 80 percent of
the products sold by Whirlpool Corp. in the U.S. are assembled in
the U.S. The company's Clyde,
Ohio, facility is the world's largest washer manufacturing
facility. The Clyde, Ohio facility
not only meets America's washers needs but also exports 10 percent
of the washers it makes to meet the needs of families around the
world. This investment in Ohio
includes 10,000 employees, $1.6
billion in supply chain spending, and $7.4 billion in manufacturing spending.
Whirlpool Corp. in China
Whirlpool Corp. has a two-decade
history meeting the needs of Chinese consumers through significant
manufacturing and research and development investments in the
country. The company has more than 20,000 employees in Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Anhui provinces. China is an important growth market for
Whirlpool Corp., and the company is quickly expanding its
investment in the country.
About Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool Corporation
(NYSE: WHR) is the number one major appliance manufacturer in the
world, with approximately $20 billion
in annual sales, 100,000 employees and 70 manufacturing and
technology research centers throughout the world in 2014. The
company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag,
Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, Jenn-Air,
Indesit and other major brand names in more than 170
countries. Additional information about the company can be found at
Whirlpool Corp.com, or on Twitter at @WhirlpoolCorp.
Whirlpool Additional Information
Certain statements
in this press release relating to the antidumping petition and the
expected timing for resolution constitute "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws.
These statements reflect management's current expectations
regarding future events and speak only as of the date of this press
release. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and
uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future
performance and will not necessarily be accurate indications of
whether or not, or the times at or by which, events will occur.
Actual performance may differ materially from that expressed or
implied in such statements. Important factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from these expectations
include, among other things, the risk that the timing for
resolution of these matters may be significantly delayed. In
addition to these risks, reference should also be made to the
factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in Whirlpool Corporation's
periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press
release are based upon what are believed to be reasonable
assumptions, investors cannot be assured that actual results will
be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and the
differences may be material. These forward-looking statements are
made as of the date of this press release and, except as expressly
required by applicable law, Whirlpool Corporation assumes no
obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or
circumstances.
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SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation