The position of leadership occupied today by Maytag The Company and its parent, Maytag Corporation, in the highly competitive appliance industry, stand in sharp contrast to Maytag's modest beginnings as a small, regional manufacturer of farm equipment.

In 1893 Frederick Louis Maytag, who came to Iowa as a farm boy in a covered wagon, joined his two brothers-in-laws and George W. Parsons each contributed $600 for a total of $2,400 to start a farm implement company. The company produced threshing machine, band-cutter and self-feeder attachments invented by one of the founders of the company. When Fred L. Maytag and his partners went into business in 1893, farmers often suffered injuries as a result of threshing machine accidents. One of the company's earliest successes was a threshing machine feeder, a device which fed straw more safely into the threshing cylinder.
By 1902, the company was the largest feeder manufacturer in the world, and by 1904, The Ruth was the most popular model.

Under Fred L. Maytag's leadership, offices eventually were opened in a Newton Opera House, Factory operations were housed in a abandoned, 30' by 40' stove works in Newton, Iowa.

Perfected in 1905, the Success Corn Husker and Shredder became the company's next product development, expanding its farm implement line.

After the turn of the century, the company became involved in several side lines. The farm equipment line was expanded to include hay presses, hog waters and numerous specialized feeders and harvesting equipment between 1907 and 1911. Fred L. Maytag produced the "Maytag-Mason Automobile" in Waterloo, Iowa. As late as 1916, Maytag Company briefly produced farm tractors. It was intended that this product would solve seasonal slumps in the farm equipment business and fill the need for a home washing machine. The 1907 "Pastime" washers had a wooden tub with a hand crank that turned an dolly inside with wooden pegs, which in turn, pulled clothes through the water and against the corrugated tub sides.

About this time in the company's history Fred L. Maytag became sole owner of the company. Improvements on the first washing machine were steady. A pulley mechanism was added so the machine could be operated from an outside power source, in 1911 a model with an electric motor was unveiled. Four years later Maytag developed its Multi-Motor gasoline engine washer that became a must to rural homemakers who did not have access to electric power.

In 1919 the company succeeded in casting the first aluminum washer tub, producing what was called in the trade "The Washer that could not be built" and eliminating problem inherent in the wooded tub construction. Expansion into a national company and world leadership came during the first half of the 1920's under L. B. Maytag son of the founder, who served as company president between 1920 and 1926. He was also a member of the board of directors from 1940 until his death in 1966. He also conceived a new washer design that replaced the dolly under the lid with an agitator in the bottom of the tub.

Howard Snyder, a former mechanic whose inventive genius had led him to head Maytag's development department, worked out the details of the new design and came up with one of the most significant inventions in laundry appliance history. Its revolutionary washing principle was to force water through clothes with a vained agitator mounted in the bottom of the tub, rather than drag clothes through the water with a lid dolly.

Maytag first introduced this type washer in 1922, and it was a great success. The new washer design put Maytag exclusively into the washer business, prompted the end of farm equipment manufacturing and propelled the company to a dominant position in the young laundry appliance industry. Trainloads of the Maytag "Gyrafoam" washers went out from Newton plant, and by 1927 the company had produced its first million. It has now produced more than 40 million laundry and kitchen appliances. On October 12, 1926, five solid trainloads of Maytag Washer were shipped, the worlds largest single shipment of merchandise, this was eclipsed in May of 1927 when an eight trainload shipment of Maytag's went out. In 1925 the company went public with a listing on the New York Stock Exchange. The company did not, however, turn its back on its rural base. It soon began providing butter churn and meat grinder attachments for its washers and adapted it Multi-Motor for use with a cream separator and, in the 1930's to function as a light generator. In 1924 an iron had been introduced as a companion appliance to the Maytag washer. From 1926 to 1940 the company was headed by E. H. Maytag, another son of the founder.

In 1929 the company reached a pre-war high in earnings of $6,838,883.00. The firm made its way through the depression years without encountering a loss. As the shadow of war fell over the country, E. H. Maytag passed away and his son, Fred Maytag II (grandson of F.L. Maytag), assumed the presidency in 1940 at the age of 29.

During World War II the company discontinued the manufacture of washing machines and devoted its facilities to the war effort. From 1941 to 1945, Maytag improved and produced numerous special components for military airplanes.

Maytag made parts for sixteen combat planes including the B-29 Super Fortress, the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-26 Martin Marauder, and the P-51 Mustang.

The picture above illustrates Maytag's knack for simplifying complex mechanisms to make them better and more dependable. It shows how a bomb bay actuating cylinder was reduced from 110 parts to just 28, and from a weight of 14lbs. to 12lbs. This cut cost, lowered production and maintenance time, and improved performance.

Production of Wringer washers was resumed in 1946, three years later Plant number 2, a new facility for manufacturing automatic washers was opened in Newton. Maytag's first automatic washer, the AMP, was introduced in 1949 and began a new era in the history of the company. Plant Number Two built in Newton in 1949, It has been expanded many times since then.With the beginning of the Korean War in 1951, Maytag again served its country, constructing a building next to Plant 1 to produce parts for tanks and other military equipment while continuing its washer production. Production of clothes dryers was added in 1953.thirty years later in late 1983, the end of an era occurred when Maytag discontinued production of wringer washers.

The company had produced wringer washers for 76 years, and when manufacturing was discontinued, 11.7 million units had rolled off assembly lines in Newton, Iowa. Industry sales of wringer washers had been decreasing since 1948, and, because of the low volume involved, it was no longer economical for Maytag to manufacture the product. Plant 2 has been expanded many times since it was built in 1949. The facility and its adjoining product warehouse now cover more than 2 million square feet on a 175-acre tract. Plant 1, where component parts are manufactured, covers over 29 acres with its numerous buildings and has a floor area of more than a million square feet.

The Headquarters building was dedicated in 1961, and the Technical Center was created with the renovation of part of Plant 1 in 1988. Completing the Maytag office complex are Research and Development and the Training Center on the east side of Dependability Square. Upon his death in 1962, Fred Maytag II was succeeded as chairman of the board and chief executive officer by George M. Unibreit. E.G. Higdon was named president of the company at the same time. This marked the first time in history that the company was not headed by a Maytag. Since then, professional managers have led Maytag Company, and family members have not been involved in management. In 1972, Daniel J. Krumm succeeded E.G. Higdon as Maytag president and treasurer, and two years later he was named chief executive officer. Maytag expanded into the growing commercial laundry field. In 1958, the company began manufacturing washers and dryers for commercial self-service laundries and commercial route operators. Over the years, the company has introduced many innovations it the commercial laundry field, including plastic tickets to operate machines rather than coins and the concept of stacking two regular size dryers. The latter idea provides customers with their own individual laundry areas, and it saves space while conserving energy.

In addition to its single load laundry equipment and multi-load dryers for the commercial market, Maytag added a line of front loading washers in 1987. Maytag began marketing a line of ranges and refrigerators in 1946, both of which were manufactured with the Maytag name by other companies. However, chose not to stay in this business, and ranges were discontinued in 1955 and refrigerators in 1960. Six years later the company reentered the kitchen appliance field with a portable dishwasher, and in 1968 they unveiled a line of food waste disposers. These products were manufactured at the Maytag facilities. In 1969 the company add a built-in dishwasher and a convertible dishwasher. Two more built in models were introduced in 1971, and today the company offers a full line. In 1981 Maytag launched a program of growth by acquisition and purchased Hardwick Stove Company of Cleveland, Tenn. Maytag re-entered the cooking appliance field in 1982 with a line of gas and electric ranges, wall ovens, built-in cook tops and microwave ovens.

During that year, Maytag also acquired Jenn-Air Corp. of Indianapolis. Jenn-Air manufactures electric and gas down-draft grill ranges and cook tops. It pioneered the concept of down-draft cooking ventilation. The company is the leading manufacturer of down-draft cook tops, unit that make barbecuing an indoor year-round activity. In 1987 Jenn-Air began marketing a gas model, down draft cook top as a line of refrigeration products. Late in 1982, Maytag began manufacturing dishwashers for Jenn-Air. Maytag Corporation, headed by Chairman and C.E.O. Daniel J. Krumm, was formed when the Magic Chef family of companies was merged into Maytag Operations on May 30, 1986. In January 1989, Maytag Corporation expanded its worldwide presence by acquiring Chicago Pacific Corporation and its Hoover division. Today Maytag Corporation is comprised of three divisions, the appliance group, Hoover group and diversified products group. Altogether, full or nearly full lines of appliances are marketed in the United States under Admiral, Jenn-Air, Magic Chef and Maytag brands. Other domestic appliance brands include Hardwick and Norge. Hoover floor care products are distributed internationally, and Hoover home appliances are sold primarily in the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada and Australia. The corporation also manufactures soft drink vending machines and currency changers under the Dixie-Narco and Ardac brands. Today the Maytag Corporation and the the Maytag Company are headquartered in Newton, Iowa. The company employs over 3,500 people in Newton and Jefferson City, Mo., while the corporation employs over 29,000 worldwide. This information as of 1990.