GE moves washing machine production from China to Kentucky
A neon sign that reads "GE Appliances" (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
GE Appliances announced that it would be relocating its washing machine production from China to Kentucky on Thursday.
The $490 million investment positions the Kentucky home appliances company to rank as the biggest U.S. manufacturer of washing machines, GE said.
What they're saying:
"We are bringing laundry production to our global headquarters in Louisville because manufacturing in the U.S. is fundamental to our ‘zero-distance’ business strategy to make appliances as close as possible to our customers and consumers," CEO Kevin Nolan said. "This decision is our most recent product reshoring and aligns with the current economic and policy environment."
Appliance Park
Dig deeper:
In all, production of more than 15 models of front load washers will shift to the company's sprawling Louisville production complex — known as Appliance Park, GE said.
Once the added production is in place, the total area devoted to clothes care production at the Louisville complex will equal 33 football fields, it said.
The redesigned factory will become its most advanced manufacturing plant for clothes washing production, the company said, featuring the latest in automation, robotics and material-handling technologies including automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots.
The new manufacturing lines will open in 2027, the company said.
Local perspective:
The $490 million infusion into Appliance Park is the latest round of investments in recent years as part of the company’s growth strategy.
It builds on the company's previous investments of $3.5 billion in U.S. manufacturing in the past decade, with more than one-third of the amount going to Appliance Park.
The backstory:
Appliance Park in Louisville employs about 8,000 workers and is home to five plants that produce washers, dryers, dishwashers and refrigerators as well as parts and components.
GE Appliances also has manufacturing plants in South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Connecticut.
GE Appliances is a subsidiary of the China-based Haier company.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Los Angeles.