Who is the biggest exporter of German-made washing machines to the United States? Not Miele or Bosch-Siemens, or any other German manufacturer. No, it's Whirlpool, the American appliance maker proudly reports.
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The necessary technology existed in Germany when Whirlpool decided to sell front-loading washers to Americans. So did a trained work force and a Whirlpool factory already making a European version of the front loader.
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Almost two million of the front loaders have been sold in the United States since 2001, at $1,200 apiece, and as demand rises, so do the shipments across the Atlantic.
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Maytag got into the front-loader market first, in the 1990s, but soon stumbled. Its Neptune model, engineered and made in the United States, suffered from a high repair rate. That gave Whirlpool's Duet front-loader an advantage, Fettig said; his company avoided the pitfalls by adopting the already kink-free German technology.

Maytag, in a statement, said that it, too, has resorted to globalization to get back into the game. The newest model "is made in South Korea through a technology and manufacturing partnership with Samsung," Maytag said.
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The high-end, $1,200 model will continue to come from Schorndorf. The smaller Mexican front loaders, on the other hand, will be for the majority of American consumers and will be priced several hundred dollars less.