White-Westinghouse

White-Westinghouse is an American home-appliance brand whose origins lie in the major-appliance business developed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation. The name was created in 1975 after White Consolidated Industries acquired Westinghouse's major appliance operations. Rather than representing a wholly separate appliance manufacturer with an independent corporate history, White-Westinghouse became a consumer-facing brand associated with the transfer and licensing of appliance assets and trademarks between several companies. The brand's historical product scope included both large and small household appliances. Its principal categories included refrigerators, electric ranges, washing machines, room air conditioners, dishwashers, televisions, and other household electrical goods. The Westinghouse appliance business had a longer industrial history: Westinghouse entered the major-appliance sector in 1917 by acquiring the Copeman Electric Stove Company, which had begun producing electric ranges in 1914. Production was later moved from Flint, Michigan, to Mansfield, Ohio. Westinghouse's appliance operation promoted a number of developments associated with the spread of household electrification. These included sealed refrigeration units during the 1930s, room air conditioners, portable dishwashers, and an automatic washing machine introduced in 1939 that did not need to be permanently bolted to the floor. The company also marketed auto-defrost refrigerators during the 1950s. These historical innovations belong primarily to the broader Westinghouse appliance business, but they form part of the industrial heritage behind the White-Westinghouse name. White Consolidated Industries, the company that acquired the Westinghouse major-appliance business in 1975, was later acquired by Electrolux in 1986. Electrolux subsequently manufactured White-Westinghouse appliances, and the brand remained visible in the appliance market into the 2000s. Appliances carrying the name were made by Electrolux as recently as 2006. After 1998, Electrolux produced White-Westinghouse appliances under a licensing arrangement involving Paramount Global and its Westinghouse brand-management subsidiary, reflecting the separation of brand ownership, manufacturing, and distribution. The brand also appeared in United States retail through a mid-1990s arrangement involving Kmart. Household products and consumer electronics bearing the White-Westinghouse name were sold in Kmart stores, effectively positioning the label as a value-oriented private-label or licensed brand. The arrangement involved Windmere-Durable Holdings, Salton/Maxim Housewares, and New M-Tech Corporation, which licensed the name from the then-owner of the Westinghouse brand. Many larger televisions were relabeled Daewoo products. The arrangement ended in the early 2000s, after which many products were discontinued or moved to Kmart's Home Essentials label; televisions continued for a time under the Curtis-Mathes name. The White-Westinghouse name has also been used outside the United States. In India, appliances bearing the brand are manufactured by SPPL under brand-licensing agreements. Consequently, the present-day brand should be understood primarily as a licensed appliance trademark rather than as a single vertically integrated operating company. Publicly available material does not establish a single current global headquarters, a unified corporate management team, or a complete current product catalogue.

The industrial background of White-Westinghouse reaches back to Westinghouse Electric Corporation's entry into the major-appliance sector. Westinghouse acquired the Copeman Electric Stove Company in 1917. Copeman had begun manufacturing electric ranges in 1914, and the acquisition gave Westinghouse a foundation in electric cooking equipment at a time when household electrification was expanding in the United States. Production was later transferred from Flint, Michigan, to Mansfield, Ohio. Over the following decades, the Westinghouse appliance business produced a broad range of domestic electrical equipment. Its product categories included major appliances such as refrigerators, ranges, washing machines, dishwashers, and air conditioners, as well as smaller household products. The company associated its appliance heritage with several developments: sealed refrigeration systems in the 1930s, room air conditioners, portable dishwashers, and a 1939 automatic washing machine designed without permanent floor bolting. Westinghouse also marketed auto-defrost refrigerators in the 1950s. These products helped establish the technological and commercial background from which the later White-Westinghouse brand emerged. The White-Westinghouse name itself was established in 1975 when White Consolidated Industries acquired Westinghouse Electric's major-appliance business. The new name linked the acquired appliance operations to both the White organization and the established Westinghouse identity. In 1986, Electrolux acquired White Consolidated Industries, bringing the business into the Electrolux group. Electrolux continued to manufacture appliances carrying the White-Westinghouse name, including products made as recently as 2006. The brand's later history was increasingly shaped by licensing. After 1998, Electrolux made White-Westinghouse appliances under license from Paramount Global through a Westinghouse brand-management subsidiary. This arrangement illustrates how the name could continue in the marketplace even as manufacturing and trademark administration were distributed among different corporate entities. White-Westinghouse also had a notable retail presence in the United States during the 1990s. Kmart sold household goods and electronics under the label in a value-oriented arrangement involving Windmere-Durable Holdings, Salton/Maxim Housewares, and New M-Tech Corporation. The companies licensed the name from the then-owner of the Westinghouse brand. Many of the larger televisions sold through the arrangement were manufactured by Daewoo Electronics and relabeled. The partnership ended in the early 2000s. A number of products disappeared or moved to Kmart's Home Essentials brand, while some televisions continued under the Curtis-Mathes name. The brand has not been limited to the United States. In India, SPPL manufactures White-Westinghouse appliances through brand-licensing agreements. The available reference material does not identify a single current operating company responsible for all White-Westinghouse products worldwide. The brand's contemporary identity is therefore best described as a licensed home-appliance trademark with market-specific manufacturing and distribution arrangements.

• 2006

  Electrolux production documented into the mid-2000s

  [1]White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material records Electrolux-manufactured White-Westinghouse appliances as recently as 2006.

• 1998

  Electrolux production continues under license

  [1]White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org

  Electrolux manufactured White-Westinghouse appliances under a licensing structure involving Paramount Global's Westinghouse brand-management business.

• 1990

  Kmart retail presence expands

  [1]White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org

  Kmart sold White-Westinghouse household products and electronics in the United States through a licensed, value-oriented retail arrangement.

• 1986

  White Consolidated Industries is acquired by Electrolux

  [1]White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org

  Electrolux acquired White Consolidated Industries, including the appliance operations connected with White-Westinghouse.

• 1975

  White-Westinghouse brand is created

  [1]White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org

  White Consolidated Industries acquired Westinghouse's major-appliance business and created the White-Westinghouse identity.

• 1939

  Automatic washing-machine development

  [1]White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org

  Westinghouse is associated with an automatic washing machine that did not need to be permanently bolted to the floor.

• 1917

  Westinghouse enters the major-appliance industry

  [1]White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org

  Westinghouse Electric Corporation acquired the Copeman Electric Stove Company, establishing a direct position in the major-appliance business.

Historically positioned as a mainstream and, in some retail arrangements, value-oriented household-appliance brand. Its current market positioning varies by licensee and country.

• Major appliances

  Refrigerators

  Refrigerators were a central part of the Westinghouse appliance heritage and later White-Westinghouse product range. The historical business is associated with sealed refrigeration units during the 1930s and auto-defrost refrigerators during the 1950s. Later products were manufactured and marketed through changing corporate and licensing arrangements.

• Major appliances

  Electric ranges

  Electric cooking appliances trace back to the Copeman Electric Stove Company, acquired by Westinghouse in 1917. Electric ranges formed one of the earliest and most established categories in the business that ultimately supplied the White-Westinghouse brand.

• Major appliances · 1939

  Washing machines

  The brand's washing-machine heritage includes a Westinghouse automatic model from 1939 that was designed without permanent floor bolting. White-Westinghouse washing machines later appeared as part of the broader licensed appliance portfolio.

• Climate-control appliances

  Room air conditioners

  Room air conditioners were among the appliance categories associated with Westinghouse's historical product development. The category contributed to the broad household-appliance scope later represented by White-Westinghouse.

• Major appliances

  Dishwashers

  Westinghouse is associated with portable dishwashers developed during the 1930s. Dishwashers were part of the larger set of household appliances linked to the White-Westinghouse name.

• Consumer electronics

  Televisions

  White-Westinghouse televisions were sold through Kmart during the 1990s. Many larger sets were manufactured by Daewoo Electronics and sold under the licensed White-Westinghouse name. After the Kmart arrangement ended, some television products were relabeled Curtis-Mathes.

• 2000

  Wind down the Kmart White-Westinghouse arrangementStrategy

  Background

  The Kmart partnership involving licensed household goods and electronics dissolved in the early 2000s.

  Action taken

  Many products were discontinued or transferred to Kmart's Home Essentials label, while some televisions continued under Curtis-Mathes.

  Aftermath

  The White-Westinghouse name became less prominent in Kmart's retail assortment.

  Source

• 1998

  Continue production through trademark licensingStrategy

  Background

  The Westinghouse name was being administered through a brand-management and licensing structure rather than a single integrated appliance company.

  Action taken

  Electrolux manufactured White-Westinghouse appliances under license involving Paramount Global's Westinghouse brand-management subsidiary.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement allowed the brand to remain in the appliance market while trademark ownership and manufacturing were separated.

  Source

• 1986

  Bring White-Westinghouse into Electrolux ownershipM&A

  Background

  Electrolux acquired White Consolidated Industries.

  Action taken

  Electrolux took control of the appliance business connected with the White-Westinghouse brand.

  Aftermath

  Electrolux manufactured White-Westinghouse products for subsequent decades, including products documented through 2006.

  Source

• 1975

  Create the White-Westinghouse brand through an appliance-business acquisitionM&A

  Background

  White Consolidated Industries acquired Westinghouse Electric's major-appliance business.

  Action taken

  The acquired business was marketed under the White-Westinghouse name.

  Aftermath

  The transaction established the brand's identity while separating it from direct ownership by Westinghouse Electric.

  Source

• 2000

  Kmart partnership winds down and products move to other labels[1]White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  The Kmart licensing partnership dissolved in the early 2000s. Many White-Westinghouse products were discontinued or shifted to Kmart's Home Essentials label, while some televisions continued under the Curtis-Mathes name.

• 1998

  Electrolux manufactures White-Westinghouse appliances under license[1]White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  From 1998, Electrolux manufactured appliances using the White-Westinghouse name under a licensing structure involving Paramount Global and its Westinghouse brand-management subsidiary.

• 1990

  White-Westinghouse products enter a Kmart value-focused retail arrangement[1]White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  During the mid-1990s, Kmart sold household products and electronics under the White-Westinghouse name through licensing arrangements involving several consumer-products companies.

• 1986

  Electrolux acquires White Consolidated Industries[1]White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  White Consolidated Industries, the owner of the appliance business associated with White-Westinghouse, was acquired by Electrolux.

• 1975

  White Consolidated Industries acquires Westinghouse's major-appliance business[1]White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  The transaction created the White-Westinghouse brand by placing Westinghouse's major-appliance operations under White Consolidated Industries.

1. 1White-Westinghouseen.wikipedia.org