Free Republic

. Citing soft demand in the weakening global economy, Whirlpool Corp. on Oct. 28 announced it would slash more than 5,000 jobs in North America and Europe and reduce capacity. The company said the action would reduce its workforce in the regions by 1%, and included the elimination of 1,200 salaried jobs. Whirlpool, among the biggest appliance makers with a global portfolio of brands including Maytag, KitchenAid, Brastemp and Consul, did not break down the number of job cuts by location. As part of the belt-tightening, Whirlpool said it would close a refrigeration manufacturing plant in Fort Smith, Arkansas, by...