Whirlpool Corporation Opens New State-of-the-Art Manufacturing Facility in Tennessee

BENTON HARBOR, Mich., April 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) officially opens its new manufacturing facility in Cleveland, Tenn., for production of premium cooking products. The $200 million project includes a state-of-the-art production facility and distribution center and will be the largest premium cooking plant in the world. Whirlpool expects the project will add about 130 new jobs to its existing Cleveland workforce. Each year Whirlpool Corporation spends more than $7.4 billion to operate its nine U.S. plants and keep its approximately 15,000 manufacturing employees at work.

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Whirlpool Corporation Chairman and CEO, Jeff M. Fettig, and U.S. Secretary of Commerce, John Bryson, were key speakers at today's ribbon-cutting ceremony which began at 11:30 a.m. EDT. Federal, state and local officials, including Deputy Governor Claude Ramsey and Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty, also attended.

This new, 1 million square foot production facility and 400,000 square foot distribution center, demonstrate the company's commitment to delivering the world's most innovative cooking products. The plant includes some of the most energy efficient and technologically advanced manufacturing processes and is expected to obtain LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Located at Benton Pike and Durkee Road, the new facility is replacing a 123-year old plant just a few miles away on King Edward Avenue. The full transition to the new facility is expected to be complete by mid-2013.

"We are proud to have more U.S. manufacturing employees than all of our major competitors combined and today's ceremony further signifies Whirlpool Corporation's confidence in the Cleveland, Tennessee workforce and in U.S. manufacturing in general," said Jeff Fettig, chairman and chief executive officer for Whirlpool Corporation. "The advanced production here supports the growth of our premium cooking products business, which includes some of the most innovative ranges, ovens and cooktops offered in the marketplace."

"I want to congratulate all the people at Whirlpool on 100 years of making things here in America.  Today, CEOs both in the U.S. and abroad are seeing places like Cleveland, Tennessee, and they're saying 'That's where I want my next factory to go,'" said U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson.  "They see our R&D, our supply chains, the quality of our products, and our talented workforce.  There is simply no comparison.  American competitiveness and American innovation are full speed ahead." 

Of the products Whirlpool Corporation makes, more than 80 percent of those sold in the U.S. are made in the U.S.  Whirlpool Corporation continues to invest in U.S. manufacturing jobs and $1 billion in its U.S. footprint – from 2010-2014, including:

• New $85 million office campus in its headquarters location of Benton Harbor, Michigan.
• Acquisition of the former WC Wood facility in Ottawa, Ohio, adding nearly 400 jobs and bringing total employment in the State of Ohio to approximately 10,000, making it the largest manufacturing center for appliances in the U.S.
• A $175 million investment in the company's Clyde, Ohio laundry facilities, which produce some of the most energy and water efficient laundry products available.
• A $20 million investment in its Amana, Iowa refrigeration plant to drive improved productivity and efficiency.

About Whirlpool Corporation: Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $19 billion in 2011, 68,000 employees, and 66 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world.  The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world.  Additional information about the company can be found at http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation

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