Benton Harbor-based Whirlpool Corp. announced today it will acquire Fall River, Mass.-based American Dryer Corp., a manufacturer of coin-operated industrial and specialty laundry equipment. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“Our Maytag and Whirlpool brands have a strong heritage in commercial laundry,” says Brett Dibkey, vice president of the North American integrated business units for Whirlpool. “The addition of American Dryer Corp. is yet another step toward our goal of building the industry’s best, most reliable full line of commercial laundry equipment.”
Dibkey says the acquisition gives Whirlpool’s commercial laundry business “a platform to reach new markets and channels.” Whirlpool manufactures commercial top-load and front-load washers along with dryers and stackable washers and dryers. Maytag also manufactures coin, industrial, multi-housing, and on-premise laundry equipment.
American Dryer, which manufactures a variety of commercial laundry equipment that offer more options than Whirlpool or Maytag, has some 230 employees working in a 300,000 square foot manufacturing facility, along with an engineering and design center.
Whirlpool expects to close on the acquisition in early July.