BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) ranked first place among all major appliance companies for customer satisfaction in the 2012 annual American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The ACSI evaluates the quality of products and services available to household consumers in the United States and placed the Whirlpool Corp. family of brands – including Whirlpool, Maytag, Amana, KitchenAid and Jenn-Air – at the top of the list. Whirlpool Corporation has led or tied for first place each year since 1996.

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"We continue to look ahead – driving innovation and staying focused on our commitment to U.S. manufacturing and customer satisfaction," said Marc Bitzer, president of Whirlpool Corporation's North America region. "Our ongoing dedication to recognizing and solving consumers' needs is driving this type of recognition."

Whirlpool Corporation continues its strong history of leadership with a score of 83 on a 100 point scale, a one point increase from last year. This recognition reflects the company's long history of providing quality products and customer service.  With 100 percent of its customer service team based in the United States, Whirlpool Corporation has deep insight into meeting consumer needs and the ability to do so quickly.

Whirlpool Corporation is proud of its 101 year history of making innovative appliances in the United States. The company continually invests in its U.S. manufacturing base – employing more U.S. manufacturing workers than all of its major competitors combined. Eighty percent of the products Whirlpool Corporation sells in the U.S. are made in the U.S.

In this annual ranking, the ACSI polls more than 70,000 consumers and measures customer satisfaction of more than 230 companies in 47 industries and 10 economic sectors, as well as over 100 services, programs, and websites of federal government agencies.

The Index was founded at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and is produced by ACSI LLC. Visit www.theacsi.org for more information.

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 65 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.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation