LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- GE Appliance Park plans to add new washing machines and dryers to its manufacturing line in a $490 million investment expected to create 800 new jobs, state and company officials announced Thursday.
The deal will move production of a combo washer/dryer and a front-load washer from China to the plant in southcentral Louisville, which is set to start making them in 2027. About 8,000 people work there now.
The decision fits with the current economic and policy climate, Kevin Nolan, president and CEO of GE Appliances, said in a statement.
"We are bringing laundry production to our global headquarters in Louisville because manufacturing in the U.S. is fundamental to our ‘zero-distance’ business strategy to make appliances as close as possible to our customers and consumers," he said.
The first half of 2025 has been roiled by trade wars between the U.S. and other nations, including China, as part of President Donald J. Trump's efforts to use tariffs to boost America's manufacturing industry.
This'll create 800 new jobs.
The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA), the state’s incentives board, amended subsidies already in place for the broader Appliance Park operation at a meeting in Frankfort Thursday morning. In all, those incentives now stand at $113.5 million.
Jeff Noel, Kentucky's economic development secretary, told authority board members that the deal could lead to additional investments at the Louisville plant, although he cautioned that should not be the expectation.
"I can't predict what the future holds," he said. "All I can tell you is Appliance Park is truly a global leader, and we want to help invest in that. We think that what this means is more innovation, more opportunity and potentially more growth."
Gov. Andy Beshear and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg spoke on the project this afternoon in Frankfort. Greenberg said Metro government is providing $4 million in local "cash incentives" to GE Appliances.
In a statement, Beshear said the investment "strengthens one of our vital Kentucky assets and underscores our state’s reputation as America’s destination of choice for advanced manufacturing and job creation."
Greenberg called it a "huge deal" that will "secure GE Appliances' growth in Louisville for the next generation."
The two products that will be moved from China are the GE Profile UltraFast Combo Washer/Dryer and the GE Profile Front Load Washer with UltraFresh Vent System+.
GE Appliances said in a news release the investment "positions the company to become the biggest American washer manufacturer" and will involve moving production of more than 15 models of front load washers to Appliance Park's Building 2.
That building is to be converted into a "model factory" and include robotics and other advanced technologies, the company says.
The state incentives package updated for Appliance Park in 2021 estimates 8,400 jobs at the site by early 2031; the job estimate presented Thursday calls for a lower amount, 8,000.
Manufacturing jobs can fluctuate based on many factors, including automation.
Asked by a KEDFA board member about the lower job targets, Noel said the agreement "reflects the realities of manufacturing in the the global economy."
"This is a realistic approach to allowing the company has some variation in those jobs based on market conditions, but keeping all the operations here, plus bringing those new product lines into Louisville," Noel said.
Noel added that the state agreement also includes a provision that would adjust the incentives if a product line is moved to another state.
Chinese appliance maker Haier has owned Louisville-based GE Appliances since 2016.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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