A local electronics association has warned that United States home appliances giant Whirlpool may expand its safeguard petition against South Korean rivals to include vacuum cleaners.

The Korea Electronics Association said in its report on Sunday that Whirlpool may request the U.S. authorities also investigate imported vacuum cleaners, noting that the vacuum cleaner segment of the home appliance market is a more important product for the firm than washing machines.

According to the report, Whirlpool produces 570-thousand vacuum cleaners a year, accounting for more than half of U.S.-produced vacuum cleaners and 25 percent of the U.S. market.

In contrast, the firm produces 200-thousand washers a year, accounting for about five percent and two percent of the global and local markets, respectively.

Whirlpool submitted a safeguard petition against South Korean firms’ washers in June, and the U.S. International Trade Commission recently determined that Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics’ washers are harming the domestic industry.