Whirlpool Corp., battered by price competition on home appliances, asked the U.S. government Friday to impose duties on imports of residential washing machines made by South Korean rivals Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc.
That marks the second time in 2011 that Whirlpool has sought to use U.S. trade laws to protect itself from imports. In March, the company sought duties on imported refrigerators.
Whirlpool, based in Benton Harbor, Mich., and the world’s biggest maker of appliances, in its latest trade move accused the two Korean companies of “dumping” washers made in South Korea and Mexico into the U.S. market at prices below their production costs.
Whirlpool also said its rivals benefit from various Korean government subsidies.
John Taylor, vice president of public affairs at LG Electronics USA Inc., said the company is in the process of reviewing anti-dumping petitions filed by Whirlpool against washers from South Korea and Mexico and a countervailing duty petition on the same products from South Korea.
Taylor said LG strongly rejects any suggestion it has sold washers at dumped prices or that it has been unfairly subsidized, and LG intends to vigorously defend itself.
Samsung representatives couldn’t be reached immediately for comment.
Whirlpool needs to take whatever steps it can to defend itself from increasingly tough South Korean competition amid sluggish U.S. demand, said David MacGregor, an analyst at Longbow Research in Cleveland.
