The Rise and Fall of Maytag: Who Got Paid When America's Repairman Clocked Out

The Maytag repairman ran for 37 consecutive years on a single premise: the machines never break. When Whirlpool closed its $1.7 billion acquisition on March 31, 2006, the Newton, Iowa factory received its closure notice 40 days later. 1,800 jobs. 114 years. Gone. This is the story of how $961 million in acquisition debt forced the component decisions that ended the promise — and who collected $13 million when it was over. CHAPTERS 00:00 37 Years of Trust, 40 Days to Closure 01:19 Newton, Iowa: 16,000 People, One Company 02:59 1893: $2,400 and a Seasonal Problem 05:14 The Repairman: 37 Years 07:36 [Subscribe — The Last Shift] 07:48 1989: The $961 Million Bet 11:20 The Neptune and the Broken Promise 14:25 The Receipt: Who Got Paid 19:53 October 25, 2007: The Final Shift 20:56 The Standard Was the Business Model Watch the same pattern now: Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR) — same private-label erosion, same offshore production pressure, same debt accumulation. The Last Shift traces who took the money out and who paid the cost when American companies collapsed. We don't tell sad stories. We read the receipts. #TheLastShift #AmericanManufacturing #CorporateDecline #BusinessDocumentary #IndustrialHistory #EconomicHistory #CompanyCollapse #PlannedObsolescence #Maytag #MaytagHistory #Whirlpool #HooverCompany #MaytagRepairman #WHR #CorporateAcquisitions #NewtonIowa #TheLastShift #Maytag #CorporateDecline