BENTON HARBOR, Mich.,
March 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) announces today that it will
invest $40 million to nearly double
the size of its Greenville, Ohio,
small appliance manufacturing operations. The expansion is expected
to generate approximately 400 new jobs by 2018 – bringing the
facility to a total workforce of about 1,400 employees.
Executives say strong demand for KitchenAid small appliances –
in large part, for the legendary stand mixer – is driving the need
for increased production capacity. Overall small appliance
production has doubled during the past five years at the
Greenville facility. The company
is seeing significant growth across the globe. With
increasing market demand due to consumers' desire for premium
products and recent introductions of the KitchenAid brand in to new
geographies; the company is confident this growth will
continue.
"This expansion project recognizes the outstanding skills of our
Greenville employees, as well as
strong partnership and support from the state of Ohio, the city of Greenville and Darke
County," said Jeff Fettig,
Chairman and CEO of Whirlpool Corporation. "With several global
options for this project, our decision to expand our Greenville, Ohio facility is another way
Whirlpool continues to demonstrate our commitment to American
manufacturing. As the KitchenAid brand continues to expand its
small appliance portfolio globally, this major expansion will
ensure Greenville remains the
manufacturing hub of our small appliance business."
Whirlpool produces KitchenAid brand stand mixers and
attachments, hand mixers and blenders at the Greenville facility, which has been in
operation since 1942. The facility currently employs approximately
1,000 men and women who produce an average of 16,000 units per day.
Downtown Greenville, Ohio is also
home to the KitchenAid Experience® store, a retail destination open
to the public. The KitchenAid brand celebrates its 95th
anniversary this year.
Whirlpool will launch the project following final approval of
state and local assistance.
Whirlpool Corporation employs approximately 15,000 U.S.
manufacturing workers – more than all of its major competitors
combined. Of the products Whirlpool makes, eighty percent of the
products Whirlpool sells in the U.S. are made in the U.S. and the
company is committed to investing $1
billion in its U.S. footprint between 2010 and 2014. That
commitment includes investments at the company's Greenville and Clyde, Ohio, facilities, additional
manufacturing operations and a new office complex at the company's
headquarters town of Benton Harbor,
Michigan.
About Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading global
manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual
revenues of approximately $19 billion in 2013, 69,000
employees and 59 manufacturing and technology research centers
around the world. The company
markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air,
Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand
names to consumers in nearly every country around the world.
Additional information about the company can be found
at http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com.
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SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation