Whirlpool Corp. and Ispat Inland Inc. have reached a mutually satisfactory settlement of their litigation filed in Berrien County, Mich., Circuit Court.

Terms of the settlement are confidential.

Ispat Inland Inc., a subsidiary of Ispat International NV, manufactures a broad range of semifinished and finished flat and bar steel products.

Ispat International NV is one of the leading steel companies in the world, with steelmaking facilities in six countries and shipments of 15.2 million tons in 2003. In addition to Ispat Inland in East Chicago, Ind., USA, Ispat International has major steelmaking facilities in Canada, Mexico, Trinidad, France and Germany. Ispat International is a member of the LNM Group, the world's second-largest and most global steel group, which also operates in Algeria, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Romania and South Africa.