GE Appliances to Invest $3 Billion in U.S. Manufacturing

GE Appliances announces a $3 billion investment to reshore production and modernize its U.S. plants in a strategic move to strengthen its supply chain.

GE-Appliances-Factory

Inside a GE Appliances factory (Photo: William DeShazer / Phaata)

GE Appliances is a subsidiary of Haier Smart Home, a China-based company specializing in home appliances and consumer electronics. The company acquired GE Appliances from General Electric in 2016.

GE Appliances' investment is in addition to the $3.5 billion the company has spent on its U.S. operations since 2016, amid an effort to reshore manufacturing to the country from Mexico and China, according to its 2024 economic report.

"What we’ve done, what we’re doing next isn’t just good business, it’s essential," GE Appliances President and CEO Kevin Nolan said during a press conference Wednesday at the company’s global headquarters and manufacturing complex in Louisville. "It’s essential for our company, it’s essential for our economy, and it’s essential for American manufacturing, providing the goods that people need and the livelihood that they deserve."

The multi-billion-dollar commitment also builds on investments and expansions GE Appliances announced earlier in the summer. In June, the company completed a $180 million expansion of its subsidiary Roper Corp.’s cooking products manufacturing facility in LaFayette, Georgia. The expansion created more than 600 jobs and installed automation technology like robotic cells onto production lines that assemble glass cooktops, program control boards, and rotational parts.

These additions allow the LaFayette facility to expand its manufacturing capacity to build gas, electric, and induction ranges to meet customer demand. The company also plans to ramp up production of gas ranges at the plant, which were previously made in Mexico, according to an August 13 press release.

The company also announced in June a $490 million project at its Appliance Park manufacturing complex in Louisville, GE's largest facility, which houses five plants. The money will be used to overhaul and re-design the facility's front-load washer production lines with the goal “to become the biggest American washer manufacturer," according to the announcement. The funds will also allow the company to reshore its GE Profile Combo and UltraFresh front-load washer lines from China, according to a June 26 press release from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

Furthermore, the Louisville complex will serve as the central location for GE's research and development, design, and product testing operations, according to Beshear's August 13 press release.

The recent announcements are part of the company’s "zero distance" strategy to get appliances closer to customers and consumers, Nolan said in a June 26 statement.

"This decision is our most recent product reshoring and aligns with the current economic and policy environment," Nolan added.

GE’s phase-one plans for three other locations are also in line with its localization strategy, according to the August 13 announcement. The multi-billion-dollar investment will add production of electric and Geospring brand hybrid heat pump water heaters to its gas water heater manufacturing facility in Camden, South Carolina, according to the press release. Once the project is complete, it will double the plant’s production output and employment. Phase one for Camden is expected to be implemented in early 2026.

Elsewhere, GE plans to add two new 2-ton Vertical Zoneline air conditioner models to the air and water product portfolio at its factory in Selmer, Tennessee. The facility is operated by GE’s subsidiary, Monogram Refrigeration.

Additionally, GE's top-freezer refrigerator manufacturing plant in Decatur, Alabama, will onshore 22-cubic-foot models to better support customer demand, according to the press release. Production is expected to ramp up later this month.

The appliance maker's other U.S. facilities are located in Elkhart, Indiana, and Stamford, Connecticut, according to its website.

As GE Appliances installs new technology on its production lines, such as robots, these changes require a more skilled workforce.

Over the past few years, the company has taken steps to upskill and train its current and potential employees, according to its website. GE established a Louisville chapter of the Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education, a paid, hands-on work program for recent high school graduates. It also restarted its apprenticeship program and created GEA2Day, a flexible labor program that offers opportunities for high school and college students, as well as others looking for part-time positions, and is eligible for up to $6,000 a year in tuition reimbursement.

The new multi-billion-dollar investment will allow the company to do more for its workforce, Nolan said in his Wednesday speech.

"The truth is, we need more people in manufacturing," Nolan said. "We need more programs that train, develop and invest in them."

"This $3 billion commitment isn’t just staying here in Kentucky, it’s strengthening our entire American manufacturing footprint," the CEO added.

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