Abstract

This case discusses the operations manage-ment processes adopted by Whirlpool. The case begins with a detailed description of the history of Whirlpool. It describes how Whirlpool grew from being a small firm manufacturing wringer washers in 1911, to becoming one of the most well-established brands in the world appliance market by the early-2000s. The case explains the various initiatives on operations management taken up by Whirlpool. It also explains the reasons behind the company changing its manufacturing strategy from a ‘push’ system to a ‘pull’ system and further to a ‘hybrid push/pull’ system. The case then gives a detailed description of the e-initiatives taken up by Whirlpool. By 1999, Whirlpool started using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) as a part of its supply chain initiative, in order to cut down on expenses. In September 2002, it decided to leverage on the e-commerce boom and launched an online sales program called e-Partner. Whirlpool also decided to outsource some of its logistics activities to third parties so that it could concentrate on its key processes.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Supply Chain Management in a global company.

Keywords

operations management, Whirlpool, history, firm, manufacturing, wringer washers, 1911, operations management, manufacturing strategy, push system, pull system, hybrid push pull system, e-initiatives, 1999, Electronic Data Interchange, EDI, supply chain initiative, leverage, e-commerce, online sales, e-Partner, outsource, logistics activities, third parties