GE Appliances (GEA), a Haier company, announced in early September that it will invest $60 million into their Camden, South Carolina plant, creating a Manufacturing Center of Excellence for production of water heaters.
The Camden plant currently produces refrigerators, and will undergo renovations and retooling over the next year, with water heater production scheduled to begin in Q4 of 2020.
“This manufacturing team has been a strong partner to the Kershaw County community for 20 years, and we are excited that it is continuing to prosper in the probusiness environment that makes South Carolina such a great place to live and work,” said South Carolina Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt in a statement.
In addition to the renovations, the $60 million investment enables the company to retain all current GE Appliances employees, and employees at the Camden plant will be offered opportunities to leverage their production, skilled trades and manufacturing expertise to assist in creating the new water heater production line.
“Today GE Appliances is taking the latest step on our journey to become the leading major
appliance business in the U.S.,” said Kevin Nolan, CEO of GE Appliances in a statement. “Using the latest, innovative manufacturing technology and processes, our new Water Heater Manufacturing Center of Excellence will enhance our U.S. production footprint and enable us to continue expanding our portfolio of Made in America products.”
GE Appliances has invested more than $600 million in new products, U.S. manufacturing and its expanded smart distribution network since 2018, creating more than 1,200 new jobs.
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