Benton Harbor, Michigan-based Whirlpool Corporation Monday announced today that first-quarter net earnings rose 141 percent to $164 million, compared to $68 million, during the same period last year. Sales of $4.3 billion increased 20 percent from the $3.6 billion reported in the first quarter of 2009. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange translation, the company's first-quarter sales increased approximately 11 percent.
First-quarter operating profit totaled $241 million compared with $166 million in the prior year.
Based on the current economic outlook, the company expects full-year 2010 US industry unit shipments to increase between 3 percent and 5 percent compared to the previous outlook of a 2 percent to 4 percent increase.
Whirlpool Corporation is manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $17 billion in 2009, 67,000 employees, and 67 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.