Quote:
Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski
I guess I was wondering what you meant when you said appliances aren’t really made there. It sounded like you knew something I didn’t know.
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Any detailed knowledge I once had dates to 2005/2006, but as of that time the largest producer of appliances sold in America was Whirlpool (Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana and MagicChef brands, among others). Much of its production is/was in Benton Harbor, MI and elsewhere in the U.S. (Arkansas maybe?). No production in China.
The next largest was GE. If I recall, they had some Mexican production, but otherwise did their production in the U.S. None in China.
Others included Electrolux (Frigidaire), produced in the US (maybe some in Europe but I don't recall how much was imported).
Primary imports were LG and Samsung, both from Korea. I have vague recollections that maybe Samsung had or was going to open production facilities in China, but I'm not at all confident about that.
Those companies make up pretty much all of the consumer appliance manufacturing for products sold in the US (they also build anything sold under the Kenmore brand) aside from a few minor players. One of those minor players is Haier, still pretty much the only Chinese producer you see selling appliances at your Best Buys and your Home Depots.
It's been a long time, and it's entirely possible they've done some offshoring to China, especially the Korean firms who were already shipping from overseas anyway but I believe Samsung has opened U.S. production facilities since then too. Or maybe already even had some back then (they had taken over all of the Kenmore microwave business but I can't recall where the production facilities were).
ETA: It's almost guaranteed that they purchase components manufactured in China, though.
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