Whirlpool hopes Trump's tariffs will give company a competitive edge

Whirlpool, the century-old American appliance manufacturer known for its washers, dryers and other home appliances, says Trump's tariffs could give it a leg up on competitors that rely heavily on imports.

The American manufacturer of home, kitchen and laundry appliances says it makes 80% of its products in the U.S., where it operates 10 factories.

"You're absolutely proud to know that it was built in America, in Ohio, and in these small communities that thrive," Jason Ebert, senior vice president of North American manufacturing at Whirlpool, told CBS News.

Ebert hopes that the company's large domestic manufacturing footprint positions it for success amid the Trump administration's trade war. President Trump has said he's using tariffs as a tool to revitalize American industry by limiting importers' ability to undercut domestic manufacturers on price.

Ebert said its U.S. factories are well-positioned to handle a surge in demand.

"When the factory is running the way we want, every three seconds a unit's coming out of the factory," he said.

He added that the company's Clyde, Ohio, factory is not currently running at capacity, because customer demand doesn't require it to turn out as many machines it's capable of producing.

"We've seen volumes decline over the past three to four years," Ebert said.

He attributes the sales dip to the ability of foreign competitors — including South Korea's LG and Samsung — to undercut Whirlpool's U.S. prices by using cheaper imported steel.

Whirlpool, by contrast, sources 96% of metal for domestic products from the U.S., according to Ebert, leading to higher prices for American consumers.

For this reason, Whirlpool hopes President Trump's 50% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum will allow the company to better compete with the likes of LG and Samsung.

"Our competition overseas, really just on the raw material side — just take steel and resin — when the tariff is in place, they're going to have to pay that penalty," Ebert said. "They either are going to make less money or they are going to have to charge more for the consumer."

"That puts their price in line with ours," Ebert added.

Tariffs on imported washing machines during President Trump's first term spurred domestic manufacturing while upping prices on washing machines by an average of $86, according to research from the University of Chicago and the Federal Reserve.

If demand for domestic-made appliances increases, Ebert said Whirlpool is ready to ramp up hiring to produce more machines.

He also said the company is harnessing AI to make its workers more efficient, without replacing them, to reduce labor costs.