GE Appliances Brings Manufacturing Jobs Back to U.S.
GE Appliances said Wednesday that it will move production of refrigerators, gas ranges, and water heaters to U.S. plants from foreign locations, including Mexico and China, as part of a $3 billion expansion of its American manufacturing network.
The Louisville-based company, owned by China’s Haier Group, said in an Aug. 13 press conference that the move will add more than 1,000 jobs across five Southern states, modernize its 11 U.S. plants, and expand output across all product lines. The plan follows earlier commitments to bring clothes-washer production from China to its Kentucky headquarters.
“American manufacturing—it’s back. At GE Appliances, we’re showing the way how to bring American manufacturing back in a big way,” Kevin Nolan, president and CEO of GE Appliances, said during a press conference in Louisville.
Where GE Appliances will shift production
The company said the production shift will see gas ranges now being made in Mexico moved to its Georgia plant, while six refrigerator models currently built in China will be manufactured at its Alabama, facility. The company’s South Carolina, plant will add electric and hybrid heat pump water heaters to its lineup—products also currently produced in China—doubling that factory’s output and employment.
In Tennessee, GE Appliances will begin producing two new air conditioner models, while in Kentucky, a previously announced $490 million investment will bring production of more than 15 front-load washer models from China to its sprawling headquarters campus, known as Appliance Park.
The reshoring and expanded investment announcements is seen as a response to President Donald Trump who seeks to attract factories back to the United States with a baseline 10 percent tariff on most imports, along with steeper duties on some countries, including China. Administration officials and others have described the policy as part of a broader effort to revive U.S. manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.
A May survey by Allianz Trade found that nine out of 10 U.S. firms plan to bring some or all production back home or switch to domestic suppliers following Trump’s April announcement of tariff hikes. Executives cited greater reliability and reduced geopolitical risk as key benefits.
– By Tom Ozimek | The Epoch Times | The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Image: CC 3.0 Bubba73 (talk), Jud McCranie
