Whirlpool opens new manufacturing facility in Tennessee

Whirlpool Corp. has opened its new manufacturing facility in Cleveland, Tenn., for the production of cooking products. The $200 million project — which the company says is the largest premium cooking plant in the world — includes a 1 million-sq.-ft. production facility and a 400,000-sq.-ft. distribution center. The project will add about 130 new jobs to the company's existing Cleveland workforce.

The plant is expected to obtain LEED® Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Full transition to the new facility, which replaces a 123-year-old plant a few miles away, is expected to be complete by mid-2013.