From The Toledo Blade:
Whirlpool to invest $175M at Clyde plant
New washer to bring up to 100 new jobs
BLADE STAFF
CLYDE, Ohio — Whirlpool Corp. will invest $175 million at its manufacturing plant in this Sandusky County town as part of its plan to begin building a new energy-efficient automatic washer, a move that is expected to create 90 to 100 jobs.
The decision comes three months after Whirlpool laid off 250 workers at the Clyde washing-machine plant, which has about 2,500 workers and is by far the largest employer in the county southeast of Toledo.
The news was significant as it came about a week after Whirlpool reported its fourth-quarter 2008 profit fell 76 percent and sales dropped 19 percent, plus it reduced its 2009 profit forecast.
Company spokesman Jill Saletta said the northwest Ohio investment is to begin immediately and that the jobs will be added in 2010.
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Ooooohhhh... a new washer! I don't know much about what goes into the design and assembly of these things, but I would have to believe it is a brand new design to necessitate such a massive investment.
Anxious to find out more about this new machine...
Guess I should be paying more attention to the comments that are left on my blog!
An anonymous reader left a comment giving two phone numbers to contact Whirlpool.
The first number, 1-866-698-2538, rings into the Whirlpool "customer eXperience Center". The reader states "After I mentioned this error code, they were very helpful and told me that while there was no official recall that they would take care of this problem free of charge. I purchased my washer in October 2006 and had this problem and a tech out within 30 days of the purchase."
The reader goes on to give a direct line to the Cabrio recall as 866-769-7260, with the advice to "Just be nice to them and I am sure they will take care of the problem."
If you are looking for a great deal in a frontload washer, then look no further than the Amana NFW7200TW. I didn't even know this model existed until I came across this thread at the GardenWeb Laundry Forum.
In the sub-$800 pricepoint, there really isn't a whole lot of selection. You can get a washer built by Frigidaire or the Whirlpool Duet Sport, but I'd take the Amana over those any day. Why, you ask?
This washer is built by Samsung for Whirlpool for the Amana brand. As I mentioned in one of my older posts, I owned the Samsung-built Maytag Neptune. It was a great washer, and I've no doubt this washer is just as good.
You can find more information about this washer at the Amana website.
Following are some of the features and specifications pulled from the Amana website:
* Antimicrobial Component Protection helps prevent the growth of stain and odor causing bacteria on the rubber door seal.
* ENERGY STAR® Qualified, CEE Tier1.
* 3.5 Cu. Ft. I.E.C. SuperSize Capacity
* 8 Wash Cycles
* Handwash and Delicates Cycles
* Detergent, Bleach and Fabric Softener Dispenser
* Auto Fill Water Level
* Sensing Automatic Temperature Control
* Up to 1,000 RPM Spin Speed
* Number of Temperatures: 5
* Spin Only Cycle Spin Only (button option)
* Rinse / Spin Cycle Rinse/ Spin (button option)
* Extra Rinse
* End of Cycle Signal
* Delay Start 9 hour delay start
* Estimated Time Remaining Est. Time Remaining
* Control Lockout
So for well under $800 you get an efficient, reliable, well-performing frontload washing machine. It kinda sucks that it does not have an internal water heater, but hey, this thing is a bargain.
Here are a couple reviews from the Hope Depot website:
"The washer is wonderful and such an improvement over the old one. Clothes come out clean and almost dry. Drying time is much less and we are using a lot less electricity."
"We have had this front loader for 2 weeks and it is truely a great buy.The water usage is so low that you would think that it wouldnt be able to get cloths clean, but it does a great job and yes the clothes come out hardly wet.Unbeatable price for what your getting..."
"We bought this about 6 months ago to replace a very old, out dated top loading one from Montgomery Ward. I absolutely LOVE this washer. We also bought the dryer. My clothes are always clean, it is quiet and uses very little water. I would absolutely recommend this to everyone. I was skeptical since it cost so much less than the others we had looked at. It is worth it. This set costs less than most front load washers we have looked at. THE SET!"
"We bought this machine at a great price from the Depot. I was skeptical at first about its quality at such a low price. Well, this thing is amazing. It cleans clothes very well and can handle a big load. It is so quiet you wonder if it is running at all. Uses very little water and soap. Spins clothes much dryer than a conventional washer. We would recommend it."
Pretty good reviews, eh? I am in the market for a washer and dryer, and I am very seriously considering getting this laundry pair. If you strip away all the hype and bells and whistles and gimmicks from the (vastly) more expensive washers, this is what you have: a basic washing machine that will get the job done.
They're also available on Amazom. Feeling froggy today? Then go get you one.
