Latest / The Pivot Podcast with Fexingo: How Businesses Change Direction and Survive Disruption
How a 50-Year-Old Appliance Maker Survived a Trade War
In 2018, Whirlpool faced a perfect storm: Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum raised raw material costs by $350 million, while rival Samsung and LG flooded the U.S. market with washer imports just before tariff loopholes closed. Lucas and Luna dissect how Whirlpool executed a brutal operational pivot — shuttering a plant in Ohio, investing $1 billion in U.S. factories, redesigning products to use less steel, and betting on smart appliances that command premium prices. By 2025, Whirlpool had cut costs by 15%, boosted margins to 12%, and emerged as the only major U.S. appliance maker…
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