GE Appliances Pulls Production Out of China and Brings Jobs Back to Kentucky

GE Appliances announced more than 150 million dollars in new contracts for U.S. based suppliers as part of its decision to shift key washer and dryer production from China to its massive Appliance Park complex in Louisville, Kentucky.

The new contracts range from 330,000 dollars to 41 million dollars each and cover critical inputs for clothes care production. According to the company, the supplier categories include plastics, castings, steel, aluminum and other core materials required to build its new lineup of washer and dryer units.

GE Appliances said the move increases its domestic supplier spending by 3.3 percent.

The reshoring effort covers a redesigned combo washer and dryer and a refreshed line of front load washing machines. All of these products will now be assembled in Louisville rather than China. GE Appliances is investing 490 million dollars to retool and upgrade the plant for the transition, creating 800 new jobs in the process. Production is scheduled to begin in early 2027 and will expand the facility’s clothes care footprint to the equivalent of 33 football fields.

Lee Lagomarcino, a company vice president, emphasized the broader national impact: “When we invest in U.S. manufacturing and our people, it drives growth far beyond our own walls… These new supplier contracts represent what ‘Built for America’ is all about investing in U.S. manufacturing, creating more American jobs and building opportunity that multiplies.”

The timing aligns closely with President Donald Trump’s intensified push to bring production back to the United States through a combination of incentives and tariffs. The administration recently announced it would reduce earlier fentanyl related tariffs on China from 20 percent to 10 percent, lowering the overall combined tariff rate to 47 percent. Even with that reduction, the policy environment remains firmly pro - reshoring. Higher import costs have encouraged companies to reconsider the risks of foreign manufacturing and the benefits of domestic production.

However, GE Appliances says tariffs are only one part of the picture. Lagomarcino noted that domestic manufacturing also delivers practical advantages, explaining that shorter lead times, reduced transportation costs, and closer coordination with suppliers have been major considerations.

The new 150 million dollar annual contract commitments will support dozens of companies across the country. GE Appliances awarded contracts to suppliers in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Alabama and California. Kentucky suppliers received more than 40 million dollars in contracts, the most of any state.

Overall, GE Appliances says it now spends 4.6 billion dollars annually with more than 6,500 U.S. suppliers.