Whirlpool Showcases Latest Tech

Most of us in the Kitchen and Bath Design World are focused on KBIS next week so the news that Whirlpool received nine International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 Innovation Awards for seven new kitchen and laundry products this week might have been missed.

Amazon Dash Built In

Whirlpool Smart Dishwasher, Washer and Dryer allows families to auto-order detergent, Whirlpool’s Affresh dishwasher cleaner or dryer sheets through Amazon’s Dash Replenishment Service (DRS).

The appliances determine when they need to order more supplies based on the number of cycles they’ve run since the last order.

Whirlpool’s new washer and dryer are both set to go on sale later this year for $1,399 each.

Smart Kitchen Suite

Smart Kitchen Suite can also tell Whirlpool’s new smart washer and dryer to activate various modes, including quiet mode for those late night wash sessions, and “wrinkle shield” for when you’re away from home but don’t want your clothes crumpling in the dryer.

The complete suite includes the Smart French Door Refrigerator, Smart Front Control Range, and Smart Dishwasher, all of which fall under what Whirlpool is calling the CareSync system.

The setting can be activated manually, or automatically, through the Smart Kitchen Suite’s new Nest integration.

For example, the Smart French Door Refrigerator offers a Party Mode for entertaining, which drops fridge temperatures to keep foods from getting warm (due to repeated opening and closing), not to mention make ice faster. The Smart Refrigerator also uses smart notifications to alert families of a power or WiFi outage, so food in the fridge can be checked on immediately.

Tech for a Better World

With a new program called Connect to Care, you’ll be able to automatically donate to Habitat for Humanity every time you run the washing machine. The program is meant to show how big change can be accomplished through incremental good deeds — you can give as little as 10 cents with each load.

This smart washer and dryer also integrate with the Nest Learning Thermostat, so when Nest is set to Away, the dryer can switch to Eco Mode to save energy (up to 73%) with a longer, more energy-efficient cycle.

December 20, 2015May 11, 2017

The New Black Stainless Finish

Black Stainless Steel finish | KitchAnn Style

A growing number of home appliance brands are rolling out refrigerators, oven ranges, dishwashers and other appliances in black stainless steel, a darker take on the classic material. Continue reading “The New Black Stainless Finish”

December 13, 2015May 13, 2017

Narrow Vinotemp Wine Cooler

7-Bottle Mirrored Wine Cooler | KitchAnn Style

If you haven’t seen the Vinotemp 7-Bottle Mirrored Wine Cooler you’ll be glad to know there is finally a solution for building in a wine cooler when you’re tight on space. Continue reading “Narrow Vinotemp Wine Cooler”

December 2, 2015

Appliance News

A little over a year ago I wrote about Electrolux’s agreement to buy GE’s appliance division this year.

In July the Department of Justice asked a federal court to stop Sweden’s Electrolux, which makes Frigidaire, Kenmore and Tappan appliances, from buying GE’s appliance business for $3.3 billion and has said the deal would push prices up by five percent.

Recent developments to the case has Electrolux AB seeking to retract notable testimony by its chief executive in the antitrust trial.

Under questioning from the Justice Department’s Steven Kramer, Electrolux Chief Executive Keith McLoughlin acknowledged that the company’s annual reports and other documents had repeatedly described the U.S. market for appliances as relatively consolidated compared to the more fragmented European market.

Pushed by Kramer to acknowledge that fewer players in a market would lead to less price competition, McLoughlin said: “Oh, my word, I haven’t said that at all.”

Duopoly

The Justice Department is focusing on lower end kitchen appliances, the type that home builders put in new houses and apartments or consumers buy at big box stores. Electrolux, GE and Whirlpool make up about 88 percent of the stoves and ovens sold to big builders and property managers. The Government maintains the combined company and Whirlpool Corp. would dominate the U.S. cooking appliances market, creating what’s known as a duopoly. The result for consumers, the government says, would be high prices for consumers.

Electrolux’s position is that price pressure in the appliance market protects customers. The Swedish appliance maker has also said the Justice Department’s opposition to the acquisition is “wholly inconsistent” with the government’s 2006 decision to approve Whirlpool’s acquisition of Iowa-based Maytag, a home and commercial appliance manufacturer.

“I’m convinced the only proposal, the only remedy, the government would find acceptable would be for Electrolux to essentially divest itself of its entire business in the United States,” said Joe Sims, an attorney for the Swedish company. “That obviously would not be a solution that would preserve the value of the transaction.”

Will Electrolux have to sell off Hotpoint or Monogram to make the deal go through or will a settlement be reached by the end of December? You can follow the trail U.S. v. Electrolux, 15-01039, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington) for more information.

Update:

On December 7th GE announced it terminated its agreement to sell their Appliances business to Electrolux and will now pursue other options. GE is entitled to a break-up fee of $175 million from Electrolux

2016 Update:

Haier’s proposed $5.4 billion purchase of GE’s appliance business has passed a major hurdle, having received a thumb’s up from the U.S. Department of Justice. This bid followed a failed $3.3 billion buyout attempt by Sweden’s Electrolux