Drean's plant drove the Ministry of Economy's analysis of imports of products from the Asian country
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National authorities launched an administrative process after receiving a formal complaint from the historic company from Córdoba, Drean, now owned by Mabe. The industrial plant, located in the town of Luque, warned about possible irregularities in the prices of washing machines imported from China. Through Resolution 10/2026 of the Ministry of Economy, the start of this technical investigation for alleged commercial dumping was made official.
The focus of the Secretariat of Industry and Trade is on automatic washing machines with a load capacity of up to 13 kilograms (28.66 pounds). Units that have a heat-drying system or that operate through the use of special tokens are excluded from this analysis. Preliminary technical reports detected an average dumping margin of 10.43% in export operations from the Asian country.
During the first nine months of 2025, the volume of imports of these Chinese products grew by 590% compared to the previous year. The National Foreign Trade Commission found sufficient evidence to support the existence of a real threat to domestic production. It is worth noting that Drean was acquired by the Mexican capital group Mabe in January 2022.
Pablo Lavigne, Secretario de Industria y Comercio
Technical analysis and process deadlines
The period set for the collection of specific data on this alleged dumping runs from October 2024 to September 2025. Meanwhile, the analysis of the possible damage to the Argentine industry will take into account the evolution of the market since January 2022. The parties involved in this trade dispute now have a period of 30 days to submit their evidence and complete the questionnaires.
The opening of this investigation is taking place in a sensitive context after the recent definitive closure of the Whirlpool home appliance plant. That foreign-owned company had justified its exit from the domestic market by alleging a strong impact from the opening of imports.The Government now seeks to determine whether external competition complies with legal parameters or whether there are practices that distort the local market.
The resolution establishes a temporary protective measure until the existence of these unfair practices can be reliably verified. According to official data, imported products entered the market with nationalized prices that were notably lower than those of domestic production. The final decision in the case will depend on the reports that the technical agencies of the Ministry of Economy will prepare in the coming months of the administration.
