GE Appliances moves production back to US from China, Mexico, creating over 1,000 jobs

General Electric Appliances is set to shift production of some refrigerators, gas ranges, and water heaters out of China and Mexico as part of a plan to expand US. manufacturing operations. The move, which is part of a $3 billion investment, will take place over the next five years and focus on plants in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

CEO Kevin Nolan told ABC the strategy is designed to “manufacture close to its customers.” He added, “With lean manufacturing, upskilling our workforce and automation, the math works for manufacturing in the United States.” The company said the investment is the second-largest in its history.

The production shift includes moving gas range manufacturing from Mexico to Georgia and relocating six refrigerator models previously made in China to Alabama. GE Appliances said the plan will modernize US facilities and create more than 1,000 jobs.

The decision reflects trade dynamics, labor costs, and geopolitical factors. Nolan cited tariffs on foreign goods imposed by President Donald Trump as one factor encouraging factories to return to the US.

Though often associated with General Electric, GE Appliances operates independently. General Electric will maintain operations in Mexico, where it has 17 manufacturing plants in energy, aviation, and automotive sectors, and employs more than 11,000 people directly and roughly 50,000 indirectly. GE also maintains GE Aerospace Querétaro, one of the world’s largest advanced engineering centers.

Jonathan Ruiz Torre, a columnist for El Financiero, noted that General Electric had long been dissatisfied with the performance of its appliance operations in Mexico due to low profit margins. GE previously sought to dissolve its joint venture with Mexican appliance maker Mabe, but GE Appliances was later acquired by the Chinese company Haier Smart Home, which now sells products in Mexico under the GE Profile brand.

This announcement follows a June decision by GE Appliances to invest $490 million to bring washing machine production from China to the US, a move aimed at rebalancing its manufacturing footprint amid trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

Since its acquisition by Haier in 2016, GE Appliances says it will have invested a total of $6.5 billion in US manufacturing and distribution infrastructure once the current plan is fully implemented.