Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JULY 2023 28 I n 1953, GE Appliances shipped its first appliance – a dryer – from its Appliance Park campus in Louisville, Kentucky. Over the past 70 years, Louisville has been GE's largest manufacturing site, research and development center and the hub for innovations that shape how American families live. "For seven decades, Appliance Park has been a pioneer in the home appliance industry," said Kevin Nolan, president and CEO of GE Appliances, a Haier company. "Here in Louisville, GE Appliances invents and builds products that help improve life in the home for families across the country. Today's milestone is made possible thanks to great employees and the support of valued consumers, customers, and community partners who trust and choose us. As we look to the future, we're more energized than ever to continue serving as a leader in American manufacturing and as a good corporate citizen of our hometown community. Through continued investments at Appliance Park, we're developing even smarter products, breakthrough solutions, and quality experiences that simplify and bring value to people's lives." Since 2016, GE Appliances (GEA) has invested $2 billion in new products and advanced manufacturing technology for its nine plants and nationwide distribution network to support its strategy to be closer to customers and consumers. More than $800 million of the total investment has been spent in Kentucky. • The headquarters and manufacturing operations in Louisville contribute more than $7.4 billion to Kentucky's gross domestic product (GDP). • The company buys $517 million from approximately 640 Kentucky suppliers. • In 2022, GEA announced a partnership with Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI), Louisville's Metro Chamber of Commerce, to recruit and develop diverse suppliers to improve economic inclusion in Louisville and support the company's goal to spend $1 billion with diverse suppliers by 2030. "You can find a GE appliance in half of all U.S. homes thanks to the thousands of employees who have worked here at Appliance Park through the years to produce more than 240 million appliances," said Peter Pepe, vice president of clothes care for GE Appliances, whose team sits in AP1 – the first manufacturing plant at Appliance Park. "The legacy of innovation that we continue to build on would not be possible without our terrific employees. They make the best appliances in the world." FACT SHEET – GE APPLIANCES IN LOUISVILLE From inventing the self-clean oven to the recently launched award-winning, all-in-one GE Profile ™ Combination washer/dryer, finding a better way remains the focus for GE Appliances in Louisville. Today, building on the legacy of Thomas Edison, more than 1,600 engineers work throughout 80-plus high-tech labs and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities to design and manufacture the latest home appliances, and 6,000 production associates build appliances in five large plants across the massive campus. In total, GE Appliances employs more than 8,500 people in Louisville. M A N U F A C T U R E R [ N O T E S ] GE APPLIANCES CELEBRATES 70 YEARS OF INNOVATION FROM ITS HEADQUARTERS IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

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