Haier Group is making a bold move to strengthen its American footprint, investing $490 million to expand the GE Appliances manufacturing plant in Louisville, Kentucky. The investment will bring washing machine production back to U.S. soil, with new production lines set to launch in 2027.
This reshoring effort aligns with Haier’s long-term vision to position GE Appliances—acquired in 2016—as the leading washing machine brand in America. Over the past decade, Haier has poured €3.5 billion into developing GE’s production capabilities.
Kevin Nolan, President and CEO of GE Appliances, emphasized the strategic importance of the move: “Reshoring is essential because of our ‘zero distance to customers’ strategy.” The investment not only boosts domestic manufacturing but also reinforces Haier’s commitment to innovation, agility, and customer-centric growth.
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GE Appliances, $490 million investment.
GE Appliances, a Haier company, today announced a $490 million investment at its Louisville, Kentucky global headquarters and largest manufacturing site to create its most advanced manufacturing plant for production of clothes washers. The project will reshore production of the GE Profile™ UltraFast Combo Washer/Dryer and the GE® and GE Profile™ UltraFresh Front Load Washer line-up from China, creating 800 new, full-time jobs and cementing Kentucky’s position as a global hub for advanced appliance manufacturing. This investment positions the company to become the biggest American washer manufacturer, builds on GE Appliances’ 10-year, $3.5 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing, and reinforces its position as America’s #1 appliance company The new manufacturing lines will open in 2027. g
GE Appliances has created a Spanish-language washer and dryer.
GE Appliances, a Haier company, has prided itself on a history of innovation, with much of it occurring at Louisville, Kentucky-based Appliance Park.
Now, GE Appliances is innovating again with its all-new Spanish-language washer and dryer set targeted toward the company’s Hispanic buyers with a control panel in Spanish and other features based on cultural preferences.
“This is the first, as we know it, Spanish washing machine in the U.S. that’s purely in Spanish,” said David Wilson, senior commercial director of clothes care at GE Appliances. “Hopefully, it becomes the next big innovation product for us.”
GE Appliances announces partnership with Kroger
Over 150,000 consumers with select GE Profile™, CAFÉ™, and Monogram™ wall ovens and slide-in ranges can now discover new, seasonal recipes and shop for groceries directly from the touchscreen of select GE Appliances’ smart wall ovens and ranges.
“Kroger’s technology-driven approach to creating convenient and seamless shopping experiences for its customers aligns with our vision to support our consumers throughout the meal preparation process,” said Viren Shah, Chief Digital Officer at GE Appliances. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Kroger and use our combined expertise in the food ecosystem to deliver experiences and features that truly resonate with consumers.”
With this update, over 150,000 consumers with select GE Profile™, CAFÉ™, and Monogram™ wall ovens and slide-in ranges can now enjoy seasonal culinary inspiration directly from their appliance’s LCD screen. The touchscreen on the appliance will showcase a rotating selection of recipes from Kroger and other strategic consumer packaged goods partners including King Arthur Baking, tempting users with seasonal mouthwatering options. The recipes even direct consumers to precision cooking modes that can help improve the cooking results of the recipe. From convenient meals like Rotisserie Chicken Oven Tacos and Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Sausage, to crowd-pleasing holiday dishes such as Apple Spinach Pork Loin and Savory Bread Pudding Casserole, there’s something for everyone. And just in time for the holiday baking season, are recipes for King Arthur’s Giant Cinnamon Roll and Spiced Hot Cocoa Cookies with Marshmallow Middles.
If a recipe captures their attention, users can click to view the list of ingredients and instructions. One more touch will add all the necessary ingredients to their Kroger Family of Companies cart. A simple QR code scan will guide owners to link their Kroger account the first time they use the feature.This feature is another meaningful step in GE Appliances’ journey to make cooking at home easy and enjoyable. Earlier this year, the company introduced Flavorly™ AI powered by Google Cloud’s generative AI platform, Vertex AI. The feature is available via GE Appliances’ SmartHQ consumer app and offers consumers the ability to generate custom recipes based on the ingredients available in their kitchen. Consumers can simply select a recipe category and type of cuisine, then input available ingredients, and include any dietary preferences. They will receive tailored recipes with ingredients, instructions, and even photos.
As New York bans gas stoves, GE Appliances goes to court to
The parent company of GE Appliances is mounting its defense in one of the first cases over the safety of emissions from gas stoves – a lawsuit that does not allege any physical injury.The same day New York banned gas appliances in new residential buildings, Haier US Appliance Solutions, which purchased GE Appliances in 2016, filed a motion to dismiss a proposed consumer class action on May 3 in San Francisco federal court. Lawyers at Dovel & Luner sued Haier in March, arguing plaintiff Charles Drake would not have purchased or paid as much for his gas stove if he had known its emissions were harmful.Drake’s and a similar case, brought by the same lawyers against BSH Home Appliances Corporation, were filed in March after media coverage of gas stove emissions exploded. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has said it is considering regulation that many feared would lead to a ban on gas stoves.The CPSC is not planning imminent regulation, Haier says, having instead sought public comment to further investigate.”Thus, although recent news articles have speculated about an association between gas stoves and various health concerns, these claims remain disputed and the subject of ongoing research,” the motion to dismiss says.”Yet, according to Drake, GEA should be held liable for not cautioning against use of its own properly functioning product or redesigning its product to reduce energy use.”CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric said in January his agency had no intention of banning gas stoves and was simply “exploring new ways to address health risks.”However, New York isn’t waiting around for federal guidance. The state passed legislation that bans natural gas and other fossil fuels in new residential buildings, prohibiting appliances like gas-powered stoves and furnaces.Should GEA challenge New York’s ban, it could use a similar defense that it is employing in the Drake class action. In its motion to dismiss, GEA says the regulation of natural gas stoves belongs to the federal government under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.
GE Appliances presents the smart oven with no preheat
GE Profile™ launches its new . Innovative Zero Preheat Technology makes it the first and only countertop oven with no preheat for all modes, directly targeting food so the optimal temperature is reached more quickly without having to wait around for the oven to warm up. On top of this, it leads others in the industry with temperatures that reach up to 500°F, which are ideal for foods like pizza or a high-heat roast. The 11 smart, preset functions include Air Fry, Warm, Toast, Broil, Roast, Pastry, Reheat, Pizza, Cookies, Bake and Bagel.
«We know that time is one of the largest barriers to cooking delicious food at home, so we made a product that virtually eliminates the roadblock by removing preheating from the process – said Andre Zdanow, executive director of small appliances at GE Appliances -.With features like 11 no-preheat cooking modes, high heat temperatures, and guided recipes, the smart oven with no preheat is the ideal all-in-one solution for all modern cooks,from those who are trying to quickly get dinner on the table to those trying a new recipe for the first time.»
The model may sit on the counter, but it features a full-size oven-like capacity large enough to make a 12” pizza, a 13”x9” sheet cake or up to 8 pounds of chicken. It features the one-touch high-rise door that gives extra clearance on the countertop and avoids the need to reach over a hot door to remove food from the oven, all with one simple touch. And the signature GE Profile notification light bar displays the status and progress of cooking. The comapany’s smart oven with no preheat is Wi-Fi Connected with SmartHQ™. It is available in a Carbon Black finish.
GE Appliances laying off 5% of salaried workforce due to ‘historic’ operating costs
GE Appliances, a Haier company, is cutting its global, salaried workforce by 5% due to historic operating costs.
GE record production
Decatur’s GE Appliances plant had record production in 2020 and 2021 and is expecting another record year in 2022 after a 2020 expansion increased its capacity and allowed it to hire hundreds of new employees.
According to Leifje Dighton, executive director of the Decatur plant since March, the top-freezer refrigerator plant in 2020 completed a $125 million expansion which boosted production capacity by 25%.
“The investment came just in time as people were beginning to stay at home because of the pandemic and needed refrigerators and other appliances,” Dighton said. “We had a record production in 2020 with our second highest year in 2021. While the appliance industry is down this year, Decatur is on track to have another strong year with production at similar levels to 2020 and 2021.”The 2020 expansion included adding 40,000 square feet to the plant. Dighton said the extra space has been beneficial.The expansion investment allowed the plant to add 255 jobs. The plant now employs 1,500 people after adding a third shift.
“We are the largest single-site employer in this county,” Dighton said.
The expansion allowed the plant to produce two new models, the 19- and 22-cubic-foot refrigerators, in addition to the 16-, 17- and 18-cubic-foot models it already produced.We introduced a new refrigerant to our products, too, that from a greenhouse emissions standpoint was much better. We did it earlier than the industry was going to expect it,” Dighton said.
Wood said the Decatur plant sells in all 50 states and sells some products in Canada.
“We sell to national retailers such as Lowe’s, The Home Depot and Best Buy as well as independent appliance dealers, home builders and property management companies,” she said.
Dighton said GE Appliances, a 100-year-old manufacturer, is part of the largest appliance company in the world and GE appliances are in half of the homes in the U.S. In 2016, GE Appliances was acquired by the Haier Group
Samsung’s connected home app to power 13 home appliance brands
Samsung Electronics’ integrated home appliances solution SmartThings is poised to be applied to Samsung plus 12 other major white goods brands by the first half of 2023, the company said Wednesday.
This comes as Samsung’s SmartThings is to make consumer electronics goods and mobile apps interoperable under the standard provided by the 13-member Home Connectivity Alliance, through an update of Samsung’s smart home solution next year.
The update will allow users of 13 HCA member brands — including Samsung, Arceik, LG Electronics, Electrolux Group, Haier, GE Appliances and Trane Technologies — to control more than 40 functions in 15 white goods categories designed for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and entertainment.
SmartThings will also be able to connect 300 brands of third-party devices more to build a smart home ecosystem, considering SmartThings system’s scalability, according to Samsung.
This will enable not only the interconnectivity of non-Samsung devices achieved at the level on par with that of Samsung, but also the control of electronics devices of different brands in the home through a single app.
Samsung added that a demonstration attended by HCA member companies will take place from Friday to Monday during the IFA 2022 in Berlin. The demonstration will feature Samsung’s products, including the Bespoke Cube Air Purifier, Bespoke Jet Bot AI Plus, Bespoke Refrigerator and Neo QLED TV.
Samsung Electronics has been a founding member since the HCA’s establishment in 2021, and its executive holds a leadership position of the alliance. Choi Yoon-ho, head of product planning at the IoT Biz Group at Samsung Electronics, is serving as the HCA President and Board Chair.
So far, Samsung Electronics has more than 235 million registered users of SmartThings globally across over 105 million connected devices manufactured by Samsung.
SmartThings is provided by the eponymous company, acquired by Samsung Electronics in 2014.
LG JOINS HOME CONNECTIVITY ALLIANCE TO EXPAND THE FUTURE OF SMART HOME EXPERIENC
LG Electronics (LG) has been named to the Board of Directors of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), an organization dedicated to delivering better smart home experiences through open collaboration and innovation
Founded in 2022 and comprising a number of smart home solution manufacturers, the alliance aims to provide a safe, secure and interoperable connected home ecosystem. In addition to LG, its membership includes about 13 global brands including Samsung, Arçelik, Electrolux, Haier, GE Appliances, and Trane Technologies. The alliance seeks to enable seamless compatibility of diverse devices and services from different brands through developing and implementing guidelines for Cloud-to-Cloud (C2C) interoperability.
As a board member of the alliance, LG will soon bring its customers the convenience of being able to control and monitor other alliance members’ smart home solutions from using the LG ThinQ™ app.
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