Electrolux Expands Oven Capacity, Bows Icon

By Alan Wolf On Sep 20 2004 - 6:00am

Electrolux Home Products is expanding its domestic manufacturing capacity to produce a new line of extra-large capacity ovens.

Dubbed Titan, the self-cleaning gas and electric oven range platform boasts the largest oven capacity in the industry, Electrolux said, with cooking cavities of up to 5.4 cubic feet in size. Price points for the Frigidaire line, which began shipping this summer, range from $300 to $1,600, depending on feature set.

Electrolux has committed $28 million to expand its cooking products manufacturing facility here by 50,000 square feet in order to add Titan production and enhance plant capacity, the company said. The move, described as a “partnership” with state and local governments, will create more than 700 new factory jobs for the region.

According to John Terzo, Electrolux's VP/cooking products, “The state of Tennessee is working hard to create an environment that makes business growth possible,” including changes in the Workers Compensation program and funding for worker training programs. The Titan line is part of a massive product introduction that is taking place over the next 18 months which includes the new Electrolux Icon collection of premium kitchen appliances; several hundred SKUs of cooking products; a new proprietary dishwasher that allows consumers to adjust the temperature, water pressure, sound and speed of the wash cycles; an innovative frost-free freezer chest; and a next-generation platform of front-load washers.

Separately, Electrolux symbolically heralded the official launch of Icon earlier this summer with the arrival in New York of several SKUs aboard the Queen Mary 2. The units were accompanied by Keith McLoughlin, president/CEO of Electrolux Home Products North America; actress and company spokeswoman Jane Seymour; and designer and company spokesman Thom Filicia, star of TV's “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” All three attended a public demonstration of the collection, held in Manhattan's Bryant Park.