Cleveland, Tennessee: New Whirlpool Plant Right on Schedule

Even if you don't live in Cleveland, Tennessee, you've heard the name Whirlpool. They make appliances such as stoves, refrigerators and dishwashers. At some time in your life you may have owned a Whirlpool product. Some of the appliances that you use may have been manufactured right here, in Cleveland, Tennessee.

Whirlpool is dedicated to staying in Cleveland, Tennessee. So when they decided to build a brand new plant what better place than Cleveland! The new facility is being built near Michigan Avenue and Benton Pike. If the name Benton Pike is at all familiar it is because something awful happened there and in other sections of Cleveland. On April 27, 2011five powerful tornadoes tore through Cleveland and other parts of Bradley County. Benton Pike was heavily damaged and the landscape has been changed forever.

One monster tornado hit extremely close to the new Whirlpool location. As reported in the Cleveland Daily Banner, although the tornado hit close, there was no damage to the plant which had been under construction for a while. Even with the tornado, the loss of power in the area and the devastation all around it, Whirlpool was left standing and unharmed like a beacon offering refuge to those around it. After all, the new Whirlpool manufacturing plant is part of the future and it means hope for the area.

When a company such as Whirlpool puts money into a new facility, it means it isn't going anywhere. That means new jobs and more jobs for the good people of Cleveland and Bradley County, Tennessee.

The new plant will be one million square feet and production is scheduled to begin in 2012. The facility sits on 121 acres, lots of room for the next segment of construction for Whirlpool. They plan to build a 400,000 square foot distribution center starting in 2012.

Whirlpool is opening up opportunities for growth and advancement. Instead of moving to a new area, they chose to stay in Cleveland, Tennessee. In order for the facility to have all the power it needs, a new substation is being built on Old Powerline Road, another area hit by the tornado. Power should be in place to the facility by August 1, 2011, just one month later than their original goal of July 1, 2011.

While walls are up and the roof is nearing completion on the outside, design teams are detailing the interior so that the new plant will run efficiently while still striving for employee safety. Their current buildings will be 'repurposed' once the move out is complete.

In the Cleveland plant Whirlpool manufactures premium cooking appliances such as built-in ranges, wall ovens and cook tops and the Gemini double-oven range. Besides the Whirlpool name, appliances are sold under the brand names Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul and Bauknecht.

Whirlpool isn't the only construction going on in the county, as Amazon is building a new distribution center in Bradley County and Wacker Chemical has broken ground on their new facility. There is a lot of activity going on in Cleveland in Bradley County, Tennessee.

With easy access to the interstate Cleveland, Tennessee is attracting new business and while keeping veteran business, such as Whirlpool, happy, and that's a good thing for all of Bradley County!

Source:

Personal knowledge

Cleveland Daily Banner