GE Appliances

GE Appliances is an American home appliance manufacturer based in Louisville, Kentucky. It operates as an independent subsidiary of Chinese Haier Smart Home Company, a publicly traded affiliate of Haier, after an acquisition from General Electric in 2016. Haier has the right to use the GE brand name until 2056.

GE Appliances is one of the largest appliance companies in the United States and manufactures appliances under several brands, including GE, GE Profile, Café, Monogram, Haier and Hotpoint (Americas only, European rights held by Whirlpool Corporation). The company also owns FirstBuild, a co-creation community and micro-factory on the University of Louisville's campus in Louisville, Kentucky. Another FirstBuild location is in South Korea, and a FirstBuild location in India opened its doors in 2019.

GE Appliances has a long history of cooking innovation and is responsible for creating the first self-cleaning oven as well as the first over-the-range microwave. GE Appliances was also the first manufacturer to launch a suite of WiFi-connected appliances as well as the first suite of appliances that work with IFTTT. As voice assistants became more common, GE Appliances became the first U.S. manufacturer to have its appliances work with Amazon Echo (2017) and Google Home (2017).

History

GE Appliances was originally a part of General Electric, a company which began marketing a full roster of heating and cooking products in 1907. In January 2004, it became part of GE Consumer & Industrial when GE Consumer Products (founded in 1905) merged with GE Industrial Systems (founded in 1930) to form GE Consumer & Industrial. From 2010 to late 2014, GE Appliances & Lighting was a sub-business under GE Home & Business Solutions.

On September 8, 2014, General Electric agreed to sell the company to Electrolux, a Swedish appliance manufacturer and the second-largest consumer appliance manufacturer after Whirlpool Corporation, for US$3.3 billion in cash. The deal carried a US$175 million termination fee clause if Electrolux was unable to complete the acquisition. The transaction was terminated in December 2015 after the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit to block the deal on concerns that, along with Whirlpool, the combined company would control 90% of the "do-it-yourself" market for kitchen appliances sold by home construction retailers.

On June 6, 2016, Qingdao Haier (now Haier Smart Home Company) acquired GE Appliances for $5.6 billion. Under the terms of the sale, Haier has the right to use the GE brand name until 2056. GE Appliances launched a refreshed tagline ("good things, for life") in 2017, a nod to its history with General Electric, which used the tagline "We Bring Good Things to Life" from 1979 to 2003.

GE Appliance Park

In 1951, construction began in Louisville, Kentucky on Appliance Park, the now 750-acre (300-ha) manufacturing facility that employs 8,100 people. In 2007, the Monogram Experience Center opened to provide architects, designers, contractors, and other home-industry professionals the opportunity to interact with appliances from the Monogram Collection. In 2011, a data center with platinum certification by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design was opened. Building 6 was destroyed by an 8-alarm fire on the morning of April 3, 2015. In 2017, the company invested $30 million to construct a new washer and dryer manufacturing line. In 2017, the company moved the Supplier Distribution Center operated by Derby Supply Chain Solutions to AP2. In 2018, the company announced a $200 million investment in its laundry and dishwasher product facilities.

In 2023, Appliance Park marked 70 years of manufacturing by hosting state and local leaders to announce the completion of a $450 million investment, unveiling new assembly lines in its dishwasher plant.

2015 fire

A "mammoth" fire occurred on the morning of April 3, 2015 at the Appliance Park. Building 6 (AP6) partially collapsed and was predicted to be a total loss. The 6-acre (24,000 m²) building, located at 4000 Buechel Bank Road, was mostly being used for storage, with portions leased to GE suppliers and logistics partners. More than 200 firefighters from 18 local agencies were involved in fighting the eight-alarm fire, which led to a production halt and evacuation of the other buildings in the complex. No injuries or fatalities were reported, but "shelter in place" orders were issued for homes and businesses within a 2-mile (3.2 km) radius (later reduced to a one-half mile radius) of the Appliance Park due to noxious and acrid smoke. No hazardous materials were known to be stored at the site. Because of the huge volume of smoke, gases and runoff from burning plastics and other materials the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection and USEPA were called in to monitor emissions from the fire and found they were not toxic. However, area residents reported leaf-size pieces of ash and burned insulation materials in their yards. The cause of the fire remained unclear; a local fire chief said that investigators were leaning toward a lightning strike as the probable cause.

The fire was contained, but not extinguished, by the early afternoon of April 3. A statement issued by GE later that day indicated that production at the complex would remain halted over the weekend and at least through the end of the following week as the company conducted "a thorough evaluation of all other buildings" and replenished inventories of parts destroyed by the fire. The shelter-in-place order was canceled for residents within one-half mile of the site the following Sunday, April 5.

Two years following the fire, an employee-led company initiative turned the site into a sustainable green space that contains native grasses, trees, and wildlife.

Manufacturing facilities and investments

GE Appliances’ largest manufacturing site, Appliance Park facility in Louisville, Kentucky, produces washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, and bottom-freezer refrigerators. The company also operates manufacturing sites in four states including Decatur, Alabama – which produces top freezer refrigerators; LaFayette, Georgia – cooking products; Selmer, Tennessee – Monogram built-in refrigerators and Zoneline PTACs, and Camden, South Carolina – water heating products. The facilities in LaFayette and Selmer are owned by the company. The company also produces small appliances through small-batch manufacturing at its microfactories, including FirstBuild in Kentucky and CoCREATE in Connecticut.

Since 2016, GE Appliances has launched new businesses and added U.S. investments. The company announced it would make major investments in its U.S. facilities including $200 million into Appliance Park in Louisville, $150 million investment in new distribution centers in Dallas, Denver, Northern Georgia, Northern California, and $115 million in its manufacturing facility in Decatur, Alabama.

In 2020, the company announced it would expand beyond major household goods and begin producing small appliances, including coffee makers, toasters, toaster ovens, and blenders.

In July 2022, GE Appliances created a dedicated team for the recreational living sector, expanding its RV-focused product innovations. Based in Elkhart, Indiana, GE Appliances Recreational Living produces products for motorhomes and campers.

In the same year, GE Appliances launched an Air & Water Solutions division focused on residential and light commercial water heaters, water filtration, HVAC, and ductless heating and cooling solutions. In 2022, the company made a $70 million investment to build gas water heaters in Camden, South Carolina.

In March 2023, GE Appliances co-founded the Home Connectivity Alliance to support interoperability among various smart home devices.

In October 2023, GE Appliances opened CoCREATE, a new facility in Stamford, Connecticut. This location offers a space for local entrepreneurs, students, and community members to work with GE Appliances on prototype development and small-batch manufacturing.

Also in October 2023, GE Appliances announced two new dishwasher manufacturing lines that completed a $450 million investment announced at Appliance Park in late 2021.

Also in October 2023, the company marked 50 years of building cooking products at its Roper subsidiary in Georgia by investing $118 million in new assembly lines, presses, and workforce programs. Later in the year, GE Appliances officially opened its CoCREATE facility in Connecticut, featuring a small appliance microfactory, community makerspace, test kitchen, and design center.

In February 2024, the company introduced the EcoBalance Home System, a platform enabling homeowners to monitor and manage energy usage across home systems.

Awards and recognition

The company's efforts in the connected space earned it the title of “Smart Appliance Company of the Year” in the 2019 IoT Breakthrough Awards Program.

In 2023, ''Time'' included the GE Profile Smart Mixer in its list of Best Inventions. In 2024, TIME also recognized the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker on this list.

In February 2023, the newly released GE Profile UltraFast Combo with ventless heat pump technology, a washer-dryer appliance, was recognized with the KBIS Editors’ Choice Award.

In 2024, ''Fast Company'' named GE Appliances among the “Most Innovative Companies.”

See also

* List of major employers in Louisville, Kentucky

References

External links

*

Appliance Park: Where the World’s Finest Major Appliances are Made (1952)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ge Appliances
2004 establishments in Kentucky
2016 mergers and acquisitions
American companies established in 2004
American subsidiaries of foreign companies
Electronics companies established in 2004
Haier
Home appliance manufacturers of the United States
Manufacturing companies based in Louisville, Kentucky