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Whirlpool bringing some work back to Ohio from Mexico
Columbus Dispatch ^
| Tuesday, November 11, 2003
| Mark Niquette
Posted on 11/11/2003 2:30:33 PM PST by smith288
Whirlpool bringing some work back to Ohio from Mexico
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Mark Niquette
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
|
![](http://www.dispatch.com/2003/11/11/20031111-Pc-A1-1100.jpg) |
MIKE MUNDEN | DISPATCH |
Ronald Jordan works on a Kenmore dryer at the Whirlpool factory in Marion. The company employs 2,700 at the facility. |
Ohioans weary of watching manufacturing jobs leave the state for Mexico and other countries got some good news yesterday: Manufacturing work has left Mexico for Ohio.
Whirlpool said it has moved some production of top-loading washers in Mexico to its plant in Clyde, Ohio. The move is part of $100 million in upgrades to expand seven U.S. facilities, including plants in Marion and Findlay.
The changes wont increase employment at the plants but shows the companys commitment to helping them remain competitive, spokesman Christopher Wyse said.
"Its a relief," said Dave Claborn, president of Marions Community Area New Development Organization. "It speaks well of the company and its confidence in our work force and community."
Whirlpool, based in Michigan, employs 2,700 in Marion, 2,500 in Clyde and 2,000 in Findlay, making it one of the largest employers in Hancock, Marion and Sandusky counties.
The news comes as Ohio continues to lose manufacturing jobs nearly 34,000 so far this year and more than 150,000 since 2000.
Although other U.S. companies have moved work to the country from Mexico or other nations, its rare, according to state and national manufacturing trade associations.
"Its certainly not happening every day," said Darren McKinney, spokesman for National Association of Manufacturers.
Whirlpool had been making a small number of washers in Mexico as part of a joint venture but decided to consolidate production after buying the other share of the venture last year, Wyse said.
It made sense to move that work from Mexico to Clyde because the Ohio facility already was making the same style washer, Wyse said.
Today, the units are manufactured in Clyde and exported for sale in Mexico, he said.
"Thats a nice change, isnt it?" said Kay Reiter, executive director of the Sandusky County Economic Development Corp.
In Marion, Whirlpool primarily makes dryers, including units for the new Duet washer-dryer combination launched last year. The company decided to expand capacity for Duet dryers based on initial consumer response, Wyse said.
Whirlpool also is increasing the number of dishwashers produced in Findlay, he said.
Wyse declined to disclose how much of the $100 million was invested at each plant, how many additional units would be made at each or how wages compare at its U.S. and foreign manufacturing plants.
Although Whirlpool is investing in its U.S. plants, it also is expanding operations in Mexico and plans to build a new facility there that will make some of the side-byside refrigerators now made in Arkansas.
Still, yesterdays news is a sign the United States can still be competitive for manufacturing jobs, said Bill Canis, executive director of the National Association of Manufacturers Manufacturing Institute.
"If American factories have the right technology and trained work force, no one can beat them," Canis said.
mniquette@dispatch.com
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: Ohio
KEYWORDS: columbus; manufacturing; trade; whirlpool
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1
posted on
11/11/2003 2:30:35 PM PST
by
smith288
To: smith288
SWEET! I'm buyin' me a Whirlpool!!
2
posted on
11/11/2003 2:32:04 PM PST
by
RandallFlagg
("There are worse things than crucifixion...There are teeth.")
To: RandallFlagg
Good stuff... Lets hope some of these companies are going to set a trend (dont bet on it)
3
posted on
11/11/2003 2:32:45 PM PST
by
smith288
((( ‹(•¿•)› )))
To: smith288
Now that their jobs look a bit more secure, how long will it be before they strike for higher wages?
4
posted on
11/11/2003 2:35:09 PM PST
by
jackbill
To: smith288
Willie's...Daschle's...All liberals are gonna be sad.
To: smith288
Now let's see if Ohio will lower corporate taxes on Whirlpool (and others.) THAT would make a difference in how attractive Ohio could be to manufacturers.
6
posted on
11/11/2003 2:40:47 PM PST
by
toddst
To: smith288
I'm deeply saddened and concerned.
-DHole
7
posted on
11/11/2003 2:42:21 PM PST
by
Naspino
(I am in no way associated with the views expressed in your posts.)
To: smith288
The changes wont increase employment at the plants but...
Whirlpool had been making a small number of washers in Mexico as part of a joint venture...
Wyse declined to disclose how much of the $100 million was invested at each plant
Although Whirlpool is investing in its U.S. plants, it also is expanding operations in Mexico and plans to build a new facility there thatHmmmm....
Sounds like they're facing start-up difficulties in Mexico...
Forced to maintain U.S. based production until Mexico is ready to absorb the load.
No long term committment here. Merely a spin-job on the postponement.
8
posted on
11/11/2003 2:42:35 PM PST
by
Willie Green
(Go Pat Go!!!)
To: smith288
What do you get when you play a giant sucking sound backwards?
9
posted on
11/11/2003 2:42:39 PM PST
by
dead
(I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
To: toddst
If you're from Ohio, please sign a petition to repeal the increase in the state sales tax. Go to www.repealthetax.org
10
posted on
11/11/2003 2:44:06 PM PST
by
LS
To: Willie Green
Ah, the voice of the Socialist Party speaks!
11
posted on
11/11/2003 2:45:23 PM PST
by
LS
To: smith288
Willie is not going to like this...
To: dead
What do you get when you play a giant sucking sound backwards? Go to Taco Bell and order a bean burrito supreme. A few hours after you eat it, you'll get your answer ;)
13
posted on
11/11/2003 2:51:07 PM PST
by
Orangedog
(Soccer-Moms are the biggest threat to your freedoms and the republic !)
To: LS
Ah, the voice of the Socialist Party speaks!You mean the voice of experience.
When I workd in the domestic appliance industry, I was Engineering Project Manager responsible for production start-ups at licensees and joint-ventures in Mexico, South Korea and China. It is reeeeeeeeal easy for me to read between the lines on this one. Been there, done that.
To: LS
Good luck! Sounds like you have many legislators who need to be replaced in the next election.
15
posted on
11/11/2003 3:22:00 PM PST
by
toddst
To: Willie Green
bump
16
posted on
11/11/2003 3:27:41 PM PST
by
Rodney King
(No, we can't all just get along.)
To: Willie Green
Sorry that I pinged you, I overlooked your post.
17
posted on
11/11/2003 3:28:36 PM PST
by
Rodney King
(No, we can't all just get along.)
To: Rodney King
It's quite alright, Rodney.
The globo-weenies love to demonize manufacturing jobs as "unskilled" labor.
This article is actually testament to the contrary.
It's one thing to plop a bunch of production equipment and tooling somewhere down in Mexico...
It's quite another to develop skills and expertise in the local workforce to operate and maintain them at production levels.
Maytag is obviously having some difficulty here, and Mexico needs some more time to work the kinks out of their facility. In the meantime, production still has to be maintained in the U.S. until Mexico is ready.
The writing is on the wall, you're just not going to read it in the newspaper.
To: smith288
Halleluia. Hopefully this is the first move of a trend. I just heard today that Mexican labor is getting too expensive, and a lot of that work is going to China. However the Mexican work has also improved in quality. I am hearing unbelievable tales of 1 day turn-arounds for prototypes in Asia. The problem is that thes eplants want huge orders -- paid in advance. I don't thin that many companies can handle those terms. Hopefully they will stort outsourcing in the US again.
To: jackbill
Now that their jobs look a bit more secure, how long will it be before they strike for higher wages?I can't speak for Clyde, but Whirlpool Marion is non-union (at least it was as late as the 80's and I believe it still is)
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