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GE Appliances on Thursday said production changes could have widespread impact China Kentucky, as it announced more than $150 million in new contracts awarded to US-based suppliers.
The company said the supplier contracts are valued at $330,000 to $41 million, span 10 states and cover critical segments of the supplier chain for the appliance maker’s washer and dryer production – from plastics and castings to steel and aluminum. Suppliers range in size from US Steel to family-owned companies.
Along with the new contracts, GE Appliances said it was increasing domestic spending at suppliers by 3.3%.
The suppliers will support production of a range of combo washer/dryers and front load washers, all of which GE Appliances is moving to its massive location from China. louisville This complex is known as Equipment Park. The company says it is investing $490 million to remodel a plant for the project, which will create 800 new jobs.
It says production is scheduled to begin in early 2027, and the equipment will expand the total footprint dedicated to fabric care production at the park to the equivalent of 33 football fields.
“When we invest in American manufacturing and our people, it drives growth far beyond our own walls,” GE Appliances vice president Lee Lagomarsino said in a news release Thursday. “These new supplier contracts demonstrate what ‘Made for America’ means – investing in American manufacturing, creating more American jobs and multiplying opportunities.”
Announcements come as President donald trump An attempt to bring factories back to the United States by imposing import taxes – tariffs – on foreign goods. The President recently said the US would reduce tariffs imposed earlier this year to 10% from 20% as punishment on China for the sale of chemicals used to make fentanyl. This has reduced the total combined tariff rate on China from 57% to 47%.
It said the more than $150 million in new supplier contracts reflects the amount GE Appliances will spend each year shipping parts, components and raw materials to produce washers and dryers. The company said contract prices could increase if washer and dryer sales increase.
GE Appliances said it spent $4.6 billion with more than 6,500 U.S. suppliers, a 69% increase in spending since 2019 and a 58% increase in the number of suppliers. Its US supply chain has grown for more than a decade.
“While tariffs have certainly been a factor, there are also many other benefits such as shorter lead times, lower transportation costs and ultimately the ability to collaborate with your supply chain to better serve our customers,” Lagomarsino said.
New contracts awarded to businesses in Kentucky, TennesseeIndiana, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Alabama and California, GE Appliances said. It awarded contracts worth more than $40 million to suppliers in Kentucky, more than any other state.
The company said the contracts are the first of many expected impacts of a broader, five-year, $3 billion commitment to strengthen its U.S. manufacturing, restart some production and create more than 1,000 jobs. GE Appliances announced plans in August to shift production of refrigerators, gas ranges and water heaters out of China and Mexico. The company also has manufacturing plants in South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Connecticut. The company is a subsidiary of China-based Haier Company.