As North American sewing machine suppliers go, Sears Roebuck & Co. was second only to the Singer Manufacturing Company. Unlike Singer, Sears Roebuck was a mail order supplier and relied on contracts with various sewing machine manufacturers to supply and rebadge their machines. The White Sewing Machine Company was one such manufacturer. Over the years, White grew in prominence and eventually became the sole sewing machine supplier for Sears Roebuck. Early Kenmore branded machines were in essence, White Rotarys in disguise. White machines were highly regarded and often considered comparable in quality to Singers.