Whirlpool plans to layoff 400 from Fort Smith plant

[jmirawm]

Some news about Whirlpool. Last year there were news reports that they might be considering moving some of their production lines to Mexico. Nothing has ever come of that though. This was in todays paper. <p>Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool Corp., the largest appliance manufacturer in the world, employs about 4,600 at the Fort Smith plant in the production of refrigerators, trash compactors and ice makers.

<p>
Laura Champine, a research analyst with Morgan Keegan & Co. in Memphis, said she doubts any cut in production at the Fort Smith plant is related to the announced Whirlpool acquisition of Maytag.
<p>Third-shift production on line 2, which assembles the 22-cubic-foot side-by-side refrigerator, will cease on Oct. 31, said Mona Mendoza, Whirlpool's spokeswoman at the Fort Smith facility.
<p> Here is a link to the whole article for those interested.

http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2005/08/25/news/news01.txt

 

[toggleswitch]

Quote: said she doubts any cut in production at the Fort Smith plant is related to the announced Whirlpool acquisition of Maytag.

Is she an Ostrich? Girl, get your head out of the sand.

 

[kenmore1978]

Cutback

Notice it's the THIRD (Graveyard) shift, which would be the first to go if sales slow, and I imagine sales on large, expensive 22 cu ft. side by sides woudl be the first to show a slowdown.

 

[peterh770]

Since the aquisition just happened, it is too soon to tell if these layoffs are related. They were probably in the works for a long time before, since the company would have to make sure all their i's were dotted with the union breathing down their neck.

 

[dalangdon]

She's no ostrich.....

She knew exactly what she was saying, and probably knows if it's a lie too. PR, Marketing and HR departments are the bane of American ingenuity. (In the interests of full disclosure should be noted that I work for a Marketing company where I occassionaly write press releases. I suppose that makes me a hypocrite, but at least I get to see "how the sausage is made" ;-)

It's sad to see the loss of good paying manufacturing jobs. If the middle class keeps getting clobbered like this, there won't be anyone who can afford new appliances, no matter what country they end up making them in.