Peterborough, 16 March 2018 – Whirlpool has introduced design upgrades that will see its entire portfolio of refrigeration appliances for sale in the UK manufactured with flame-retardant metal back panels.

The world’s leading major home appliance company has already begun implementing the manufacturing changes following more than a year of extensive research and development.

By Q3 2018, the process will be complete meaning all fridges, freezers, and fridge freezers across all its UK brands – including Hotpoint, Indesit and Whirlpool – will have solid metal or aluminium laminate flame-retardant back panels.

As a result, all the manufacturer’s products will be fully compliant with new incoming UK and EU safety standards far ahead of their expected introduction in 2019.

Whirlpool experts have also succeeded in introducing the upgrades without compromising the energy efficiency and high performance qualities of their refrigeration appliances.

Andrzej Tuleja, General Manager of Whirlpool UK & Ireland, said: “These design changes to our refrigeration portfolio underscore our commitment to product performance as well as safety.

“Our 92,000 employees and 70 manufacturing and technology research centres around the globe hold safety at the heart of everything we do.

“We are constantly innovating to ensure we offer products with the latest technology, while also delivering the performance standards consumers expect of a global industry leader.

“We are proud of these and other accelerated breakthroughs in our design and manufacturing processes that put us well ahead of evolving standards and regulations.”

Whirlpool manufactures up to 3 million kitchen appliances for UK & Irish families every year, all of which comply with all applicable regulatory and safety requirements and standards.

With over 100 years of manufacturing experience, the company prides itself on its rigorous, industry-leading safety and quality control processes, which all its products are subject to.

Whirlpool Corporation

In Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) it has approximately 22,000 employees, a sales presence in more than 30 countries and manufacturing sites in seven countries. Whirlpool EMEA is an operating segment of Whirlpool Corporation. Whirlpool Corp.’s EMEA Headquarters are located in Pero (MI), Italy. Additional information about the company can be found at on LinkedIn, Twitter and Medium.

Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited fully supports the AMDEA safety initiative, Register My Appliance, and is committed to encouraging householders to register their appliances: www.registermyappliance.org.uk