BENTON HARBOR, Mich.-Whirlpool will close its facility in Evansville, Ind., which makes refrigeration products, in mid-2010.
A company statement said it will transfer production of top freezer refrigerators to one of its existing factories in Mexico, while it will relocate production of icemakers to a facility that has yet to be determined. Whirlpool also said it is evaluating options for the best location for its Refrigeration Product Development Center, which is located in the Evansville facility. The Evansville closing will eliminate about 1,100 full-time positions.
Al Holaday, vice president of North American manufacturing operations, said the closing is necessary “to reduce excess capacity and improve costs,” as well as “to streamline our operations, improve our capacity utilization, reduce product overlap between plants and meet future production requirements.”
