Jun 12, 2006- Eulogy to Maytag
HON. MARCY KAPTUR
 OF OHIO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MONDAY, JUNE 12, 2006
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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I want to identify with theremarks of the gentleman from Kansas and saythat this is likely to be the first year in America when we will import morefood than we export. It is another sign of what is happening to the innards ofthis economy. Agriculture has always helped America maintain her independence.We best keep that in front of us as we move forward.
I wanted to come to the floor tonight to talk about and pay tribute tosomething on the manufacturing side of our economy, a company that has beennoted for excellence as a top-of-the-line firm. I talked about it a little bitearlier during the Special Order dealing with the economy; but MaytagCorporation, headquartered in Newton,Iowa, sadly, will be closing. Iown no stock in this company. I have no personal worth associated with it, butI am one of the millions of American homeowners and householders who says``thank you'' to those who helped build and maintain this great Americancompany. Thank you for the excellence of your products.
The company was founded in 1893 by F.L. Maytag, 35 miles east of Des Moines, Iowa, in Newton, Iowa.Soon it, along with sister plants in Arkansasand Illinois,will be closing, idling 3,000 more people losing their jobs in manufacturing inthose places. Hopefully, some of them will be able to find other jobs.
But the point I want to talk about tonight is you just don't replace aMaytag company. The generations of Americans who crafted, built, and servicedthis all-American product deserve recognition in this Congress. They should beproud of the heritage of which they are a part and of their commitment toquality. Maytag Corporation when it shuts its doors will be closing a chapterin American history that for generations stood for quality and highperformance. It was America'sindustry leader. Maytag helped define America's manufacturing heartland.In fact, Maytag itself symbolized the words ``quality'' and ``dependability.''
Some people will say, well, a washing machine is a washing machine. A dryeris a dryer. What does it matter? Yes, there are other companies, Mr. Speaker.There are other companies. But they don't match Maytag's sterling reputationfor product quality. How often have we seen in the age in which we are livingthe dumbing down of American manufacturing and its displacement by lesserquality products made with lesser quality parts, many of which are importedfrom foreign countries?
We have witnessed the demise of the U.S. television industry, thefurniture industry, the automotive industry, the loss of our energyindependence, and now probably this year the loss of our agriculturalindependence.
It is correct. The average age of farmers in this country is now 59 yearsold. What about America'sagricultural future? But in this industry of home appliances, an industryleader is brought to its knees as excellence again gives way to global marketpressures.
As I have studied Maytag's componentry compared to competing products, I amstruck by how much Americais really losing. It is losing more than a company. It is losing a standard ofexcellence.
Mr. Speaker, Maytag's quality was more than marketing. Maytag was real. Itreally was excellent. Its corporate success began with fine design, carefulcraftsmanship, investment in research and development, and employment ofexcellent raw materials. Maytag's employees were proud citizens, living in aproud Republic. They knew they were helping to build a strong America, andthey did that every day for over a hundred years.
For Maytag, quality was achieved on several levels. Most Americans knowMaytag through its commercials which show the lonely Maytag repairman who nevergot a call for servicing because America's homemakers simply didn'thave problems, or rarely did, with Maytag machines. Quality was number one.Maytag's performance was assured by a long history of investments in researchand design that assured that quality. Only recently when they became a victimof the downsizing that is hitting U.S. manufacturing did the firmbegin to cut back on research and development. The trickle down effect offoreign competition and the cheapening of componentry affected Maytag.
The list of Maytag's engineering bests compared to competitors has beendocumented and is extensive. This is what we are losing, to name a few: heavyduty stabilizing springs that assured best performance. That sounds like asimple thing to make, but it isn't. Heavy duty base leveling legs; gaugequality in the metals; high torque motor; counterbalancing tubs. And the typeof transmission that had only three parts, not 30, and, therefore, repairs werekept to a minimum.
Mr. Speaker, as I end this evening, Maytag earned ourtrust: ``The value you demand from the brand you trust.'' America can'tafford to lose a company like Maytag.