BENTON HARBOR, Mich., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Whirlpool® Ace Wash Station, a product of Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) India, was honored with a Silver 2012 Edison Best New Product Award™. Recognized under the Social Impact category, Whirlpool Corporation was presented with the award during a gala at the Capitale in New York City on April 26th.

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The award is the latest in a long line of innovation distinctions for the company. In 2011, the company was named one of the World's 10 Most Innovative Consumer Products Companies by Fast Company. It also received 10 "Best Buy" designations and was ranked first in five product categories by a leading U.S. consumer magazine. Globally, the company's portfolio of innovative brands continues to excel. Whirlpool Brazil was named the most innovative company in Brazil in 2011, and its Bauknecht brand in Europe was awarded with the Plus X Award as the Most Innovative Brand of the Year in 2011. Innovation remains a key to the company's consumer satisfaction and organizational growth.

"Whirlpool Corporation is honored to receive this distinction from the Edison Awards," said Moises Norena, Global Director of Innovation for Whirlpool Corporation, who was on hand to accept the award. "This is an example of how our deeply embedded consumer-centric innovation process continuously produces results to improve our consumers' lives – in and around the home – each and every day. At Whirlpool Corporation, our innovation is leading the market and will remain a strength for the next century."

Whirlpool® Ace is a unique line of semi-automatic clothes washers sold in India. Design was a key element of this product's delivery, according to Hari Nair, industrial design director, Whirlpool Corporation. "Whirlpool® Ace has smooth edges and a curved body that provides easy access. The unique top surface enables the consumer to sort, stack and carry dry clothes, redefining the usage experience of the washing machine. It also comes with a unique handle and large wheels for easy mobility."

A number of innovative companies joined Whirlpool as Edison Award winners, including: 3M, Nielsen, Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble, Craftsman, Logitech, and Johnson Controls.

Celebrating its 25th year, the Edison Awards recognize ideas at the forefront of new products, services, marketing, design and innovation. The awards are named after Thomas Alva Edison, whose extraordinary methods and innovative achievements garnered him 1,093 U.S. patents and made him a household name. Every year, the Edison Awards Steering Committee accepts nominations from companies and inventors throughout the world.

The ballot of nominees for the Edison Best New Product Award is judged by a panel of more than 3,000 individuals, including members of the Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG), an organization comprising America's top marketing professionals and academics. The panel also includes companies such as Nielsen and the Discovery Channel, as well as other professionals from the fields of product development & design, engineering, science and education.

This year, the nominees were judged on a new set of criteria developed in partnership with Nielsen and leveraging the primary themes of Concept, Value, Impact and Delivery.

About Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $19 billion in 2011, 68,000 employees, and 66 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world.  The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world.  Additional information about the company can be found at http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

About the Edison Awards
The 2012 Edison Awards are sponsored by Nielsen, Discovery Communications, Science Channel, USA today, CSRware and applepeak. For more information about the Edison Awards visit www.edisonawards.com.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation