Whirlpool: Korean competitors trading unfairly

Whirlpool is accusing a pair of Korean competitors of dumping washing machines in the United States and asking authorities to enforce international trade laws, according to petitions filed Friday.

The Michigan-based manufacturer, in filings with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission, says that both Samsung and LG Electronics are selling washers made in Mexico and South Korea below market value in the United States.

"When foreign manufacturers are permitted to dump products into the United States, it undermines competition," Marc Bitzer, the president of Whirlpool North America, said in a Friday statement. “It is important for an open global trading system to have a process for enforcement to maintain the integrity of the system and provide all manufacturers a level playing field on which to compete."  

LG, in a statement responding to the filing, said it "strongly rejects any suggestion that it has sold clothes washers at dumped prices or that it has been unfairly subsidized."

"LG intends to vigorously defend itself against these baseless claims," the statement added. 

Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Whirlpool filed similar complaints earlier this year, accusing the two Korean companies of dumping refrigerators in the United States. In October, the Commerce Department sided with Whirlpool, setting duties for both Samsung and LG.

Both companies disagreed with that decision.

Whirlpool’s stock also took a tumble this week, following news that Sears and Kmart stores were shuttering nationwide.

The company currently employs more than 3,500 at a plant manufacturing washers in Ohio, and also has plants in four other states. 

This post was updated at 1:49 p.m.

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