GE Appliances has unveiled a significant $490 million investment plan aimed at reshoring a portion of its manufacturing operations from China to the United States. The move will bring the production of over 15 models of clothes washers including combo washer/dryers and front load machines to its sprawling Appliance Park facility in Louisville, Kentucky. The initiative is expected to create 800 new jobs and expand the company’s domestic manufacturing capabilities.
The company emphasized that relocating production to its global headquarters aligns with its “zero-distance” strategy, which focuses on manufacturing products as close to customers as possible. By consolidating design, engineering, and production at the same location, GE Appliances aims to increase efficiency and responsiveness while fostering innovation in its laundry product line.
The new manufacturing lines, expected to open in 2027, will feature cutting-edge automation, robotics, and advanced material-handling technologies, including autonomous mobile robots and automated guided vehicles. Once operational, the expanded facility will dedicate a floor space equivalent to 33 football fields to laundry production.
This latest investment adds to the company’s $3.5 billion commitment to U.S. manufacturing over the past decade, a third of which has been allocated to the Louisville complex. Appliance Park already employs around 8,000 workers across five plants that produce washers, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, and appliance components.
The reshoring decision comes amid broader efforts to strengthen domestic manufacturing in response to global supply chain challenges and U.S. trade policies that have imposed tariffs on imported goods, particularly from China. GE Appliances, which sources nearly all the steel for its U.S.-made products from American suppliers, highlighted the strategic and economic benefits of returning manufacturing operations to the U.S.
State officials welcomed the move as a strong signal of continued investment and confidence in Kentucky’s workforce. The decision not only reinforces Louisville’s status as the global headquarters of GE Appliances but also contributes to a national trend of bringing high-value manufacturing jobs back to American soil.
