June 3, 2010 (FinancialWire) – Household appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. (NYSE: WHR) said it will close its machining facility in Benton Harbor, Michigan, as part of a shift in its North American manufacturing strategy. The move will cause  216 jobs to be eliminated when the plant closes at year end 2010 or early 2011.

The company said that its newest laundry products will be manufactured at its Clyde, Ohio, manufacturing facility. As a result, the machining of components at the Benton Harbor facility will be discontinued.

Whirlpool said the move follows a comprehensive review of asset utilization of the company's laundry manufacturing facilities.  

Al Holaday, Whirlpool’s vice president for manufacturing operations for the North America region, said that innovations have eliminated many of the traditional components produced at the Benton Harbor facility. He said that new, streamlined internal components will be machined at the company’s Clyde Division.  

Around 30 percent of Whirlpool’s 67,000 worldwide workforce resides in the United States, with around 17,000 employees working in manufacturing positions. During the last year, the company said its U.S. manufacturing employee base has increased 12 percent.  

Michigan-based Whirlpool is a manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances with annual sales of around $17 billion in 2009, 67,000 employees, and 67 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world.

The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other brand names.

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