New jobs coming to GE Appliance Park in Louisville as it adds high-tech water filter line

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- GE Appliance Park will add a high-tech water filtration line to its Louisville plant along with 30 new jobs with the potential to expand.

At a news conference Wednesday, GE Appliances, a Haier company, said the highly-automated operation will manufacture state-of-the-art water filters for refrigerators.

"This investment is exactly what advanced manufacturing should look like in America," Bill Good, vice president of Manufacturing for GE Appliances, said. "We're combining cutting-edge automation, digital tools and highly skilled teams to build a manufacturing operation that raises the bar on quality and efficiency."

GE Appliances said that the new fully-automated line will assemble and package the refrigerator water filters and include "robotic pick-and-place systems guided by machine vision, 100% in-line air leak testing of every filter." But the company is hiring a skilled team of workers who take material off, put material on and solve all the technical problems in between.

"It's investing in the business. It's investing in your people," said Kevin Nolan, the GE Appliances president and CEO. He said more jobs and more projects are coming in the next year.

Big investment

The company earlier announced a $3 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing over the past five years, reshoring production from China and Mexico and creating hundreds of local jobs.

The announcement builds on GE Appliances' $490 million investment in 2025, which added combo washer/dryers and front-load washers to the Louisville line.

Mayor Craig Greenberg welcomed the announcement and said it is the latest in many wins for Louisville and GE Appliances.

"It's incredible when new and existing business like GE Appliances continue to invest and grow in Louisville because of our geographic location, logistics capabilities, and tremendous workforce," Greenberg said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he's thankful for the company's commitment to the commonwealth and its workforce. "To see them re-shore production from China. They're showing the rest of the world how we do American manufacturing right here in Kentucky"

Tariffs and manufacturing

U.S. Representative Morgan McGarvey (D-KY.) said "This administrations tariff policy right now is also hurting a lot businesses and a lot of jobs."

The Trump administration bolsters an America first approach. Over the past year, the president has said he's using tariffs to balance the trade market. As companies find their footing, while experiencing supply chain issues, there's an increasing need for more American made products and domestic manufacturing.

A GE Spokesperson noted that tariffs accelerated manufacturing investment plans.

A spokesperson for GE Appliances said the company uses a zero-distance strategy with the intention to manufacture, build and design products close to American consumers noting that tariffs definitely accelerated their manufacturing investment plans.

"Understand that we can do this better than any place in the world," Nolan said.

Appliance Park, which currently employs about 8,000 people, has become a hub for advanced manufacturing, including robotics and high-tech assembly lines.

The expansions highlight GE Appliances' strategy to produce appliances close to U.S. consumers while supporting jobs and economic growth in Kentucky.

Previous Coverage:

New products planned for GE Appliance Park in $490M investment

Louisville-based GE Appliances invests $3 billion to shift more production to US

GE Appliances partners with nearby glamping resort to test latest products