Kenmore also doesn't manufacture most (any?) of their appliances, making this "study" even more nonsensical.
Kenmore has been a brand label of Sears since the mail-order catalog days. Almost any and every manufacturer out there has been relabeled as a Kenmore at one time or another, from kitchen appliances (GE, Whirlpool, Amana, LG, Frigidaire, etc) to lawn mowers (Black & Decker, Briggs & Stratton) to air conditioners (GE, Fedders, Carrier, Amana).
Similarly, the Die-Hard brand was used for automotive parts and the Craftsman brand was used for tools. Again, all made by other companies (Johnson Controls, Exide, Skil, Black & Decker, Stanley, Chamberlain, etc).
What the OP article really points to is the breakdown of Sears in Canada, which for a long time was way stronger and more stable than the American side.
They never made lawnmowers, but they made a lot of engines for them and other things.
> Brun del Re struggled to find a fix for his relatively new Kenmore refrigerator... the compressor, made by LG, had quit.