BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Whirlpool is moving production of its commercial front-load washing
machines from Mexico to Ohio.Theappliance maker, whose brands include Maytag, Kenmore and its namesake,said
Friday that 80 to 100 new jobs will be created in Ohio over thenext three years to support the relocation.
The Clyde, Ohio, plant is2.4 million square feet, which Whirlpool says is the largest washingmachine plant
in the world. The company currently makes all of itsresidential washing machines for the U.S. at the
plant.Whirlpoolsaid that the move is part of its efforts to build products in theregions where they are
mostly sold. It does not anticipate anyinterruption in the supply of commercial washers during the
transition.Whirlpoolcurrently has about 15,000 U.S. manufacturing employees. The companysaid that 80 percent
of the products it sells in the U.S and made in thecountry.The front-load commercial washing machines are
sold foruse in laundromats, hospitals, hotels and other commercial settings. Theproduct is mostly sold in
the U.S., with approximately 10 percentexported to Europe, Australia, Latin America and Asia.Production is
expected to start in the U.S. in April.TheMonterrey, Mexico, plant is adding a new residential washer
productionline to serve the Mexican market. Employee levels at the plant areexpected to be maintained.Shares
of Whirlpool Corp. added 69 cents to $154.21 in morning trading.Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All
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