LOUISVILLE, Ky. — GE Appliances has announced a significant $490 million initiative that will generate 800 additional employment opportunities by relocating the production of clothes washers from China to its extensive manufacturing facility in Kentucky. This strategic investment aims to establish the company as the leading U.S. manufacturer of washing machines.
“This decision to bring laundry manufacturing to our Louisville headquarters is a testament to our ‘zero-distance’ strategy. We want to produce appliances as close to our customers and consumers as possible,” CEO Kevin Nolan expressed. He further explained that this move signifies a commitment to reshoring production in alignment with the current economic and political climate.
The announcement comes as the political landscape has shifted toward encouraging domestic manufacturing through tariffs on imports. President Donald Trump’s administration has been advocating for factories to return to the United States by implementing import taxes. Metal used in GE Appliances’ production primarily originates from American steel manufacturers.
The significant project will include relocating the manufacturing of a combo washer/dryer and a broad range of front load washers from China to Kentucky. Over 15 models of front load washers will make their home at GE Appliances’ Louisville facility, Appliance Park. Once expanded, this section of the complex will be akin in size to 33 football fields.
Governor Andy Beshear has lauded this substantial investment, despite his previous criticisms of the tariff policies. He considers the move a strengthening of Kentucky’s role as a central hub for GE Appliances’ global operations.
The revamped factory is expected to become the company’s most advanced facility, incorporating state-of-the-art automation and robotics technologies, including automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots. The new manufacturing lines are set to commence operations in 2027.
Adjacent to this development, the company continues its production of top load washers and front load dryers in Building 1 at the same Louisville location.
While GE Appliances designs and engineers products from its Louisville headquarters, it sometimes lacks the capacity to produce its full range domestically, leading to overseas partnerships. However, the company continues to emphasize its commitment to U.S.-based manufacturing, as evidenced by this recent investment.
According to Lee Lagomarcino, vice president of clothes care at GE Appliances, “Having manufacturing in Louisville brings production closer to our designers, engineers, and consumers, allowing for the creation of our most groundbreaking laundry platforms.”
This recent infusion into Appliance Park is part of an ongoing investment strategy amounting to $3.5 billion in U.S. manufacturing over the last decade, with a major portion allocated to Louisville.
Appliance Park hosts five plants on its expansive grounds, employing about 8,000 people and manufacturing an array of products, including washers, dryers, dishwashers, and refrigerators. GE Appliances further maintains additional facilities in South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Connecticut.
The company operates as a subsidiary of the Chinese conglomerate Haier.