Whirlpool Cuts 100 More Jobs At Fort Smith Plant

Whirlpool Corp. of Benton Harbor, Mich., will lay off an additional 100 employees at the Fort Smith plant starting next year and continuing through 2008.

The layoffs will come out of the icemaker components line, which will be moved to Reynosa, Mexico, where Maytag Corp. operates a factory. In August 2005, Whirlpool purchased Maytag for $1.7 billion. Company spokeswoman Jody Lau said it is too early to tell if it will be voluntary or involuntary layoffs.

The layoff comes on the heels of a previous announcement in July of 200 voluntary layoffs due to consumer demand, Lau said.

“Occasionally, as we have over the years, we have aligned our production with consumer demands,” Lau said.

That voluntary layoff will be effective Sept. 1.

In December, Whirlpool announced 730 voluntary layoffs in its side-by-side refrigerators line, shifting the production to a new facility in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. The layoffs are scheduled for Sept. 1. Lau declined to say if all layoff positions have been voluntarily filled, citing company policy.

After Sept. 1, Lau said the Fort Smith plant will have about 3,500 workers.