INTRODUCTION:
This project explains the various initiatives on operations management taken up by Whirlpool..
As Whirlpool grew in size it had restructured its supply chain ,the project gives a detailed description of the procurement initiatives taken by it , a move towards global platform, 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, and use of third party logistics so that it could concentrate on key processes . E-initiatives taken up by Whirlpool
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Objectives:
1) Analyze the adoption of current supply chain strategies and the reason for there initiation
About company: The U.S. appliance industry has currently 3 dominant companies, Whirlpool, General Electric, and Electrolux, producing full lines of major household appliances - cooking, refrigeration, and laundry
. In the late 1980's whirlpool recognized the need to look for growth beyond the mature and highly competitive U.S. market. Whirlpool began a series of acquisitions that would give the company the scale and resources to participate in global markets. It has positioned itself in 14 countries,4 continents ,170 global markets, leveraging the advantages would become a critical objective for the company in the mid to late 1990s
Initiatives taken by whirlpool: The company started restructuring in 1990's when these initiatives are fully implemented it will help the company reduce structural cost by more than 200 million dollars a year. Whirlpool had success in refocusing a number of its key functions to the global approach, Procurement was the first function to go global, followed by technology and product development, which has led to the significant savings from efficiencies, the global focus has helped reduce the number of regional manufacturing platforms worldwide which has led to the development of truly global platforms - products that