Milan, 11 May 2017 – Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni inaugurated the new Headquarters of Whirlpool EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in Pero (Milan) today. Whirlpool Corporation President and Chief Operating Officer Marc Bitzer, Whirlpool EMEA President and Whirlpool Corporation Executive Vice-President Esther Berrozpe Galindo, Regione Lombardia President Roberto Maroni and the Mayor of Pero Maria Rosa Belotti attended the ceremony.
The Company’s new home in the pulsating heart of Lombardy, near the nascent Human Technopole in a connected, multi-functional and sustainable environment
The building chosen as Whirlpool EMEA’s headquarters is in the “Perseo” Expo District and has a surface area of around 12,000 sqm which will host over 600 people from 28 countries in a modern and dynamic working environment. Situated in the nascent Human Technopole in a dynamic area that has attracted massive investments thanks to Expo Milano 2015, the new headquarters has many strategic and logistics advantages. It’s built to the most rigorous technological and sustainability standards, having, among other things, a roof-top solar power system that will save 16 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.
In line with its corporate social responsibility model, Whirlpool promotes alternative and sustainable transport for its employees by means of a specially developed app offering innovative carpooling and free-shuttle bus services. It has also teamed up with Banco Alimentare to reduce food waste and raise its people’s awareness of responsible consumption issues.
“The Prime Minister’s visit is a great honor for us at a very important time for Whirlpool in Italy. In the last few years the Company has put in place an ambitious investment plan, worth over 500 million euros, for product innovation, avant-garde industrial processes and ongoing training for our people. And the position of our new Headquarters,” added Whirlpool EMEA President and Whirlpool Corporation Executive Vice-President Esther Berrozpe Galindo, “offers our talents the possibility to turn to account their energy and passion in a global enterprise in a dynamic and multicultural environment”.
Esther Berrozpe Galindo: “This moment is yet another sign of the consolidation of our Company’s presence in Italy, 28 years after Whirlpool came to Europe, right here in Lombardy”
Preview visit of the showroom, The World of Whirlpool, 500 sqm of multi-brand technology and design
Whirlpool’s contribution to the Italian economy is extremely significant and felt across the entire country, where it employs over 6,000 people in 8 places (6 industrial facilities plus research& development units and administration offices). Over 75% of the 350m euro investment plan that the Group has put in place for research & development in the EMEA region by the end of 2018 has been allocated to the two advanced research centers in Italy, in Cassinetta di Biandronno (Varese) and Fabriano (Ancona). Further, the Group’s operations in Italy generate supply business worth around 1.2bn euro a year, which is over 35% of its total annual procurement costs for the EMEA region.
Whirlpool will retains its roots in the Varese area however. Regarding the former HQ in Comerio, it is working with local government and universities to identify the best solutions for new use of the site. In Cassinetta di Biandronno – the EMEA region’s built-in products center (microwaves, fridges and ovens) – the Company will continue to attract strategic investments, with around 2,000 employees working in industrial operations, procurement and the two global R&D centers (Global Consumer Design and Global Food Institute).
