More than 1,200 employees at an Electrolux refrigerator manufacturing plant in Anderson, South Carolina will be out of work starting in July 2026. (File photo by Getty Images)
More than 1,200 employees at an Upstate refrigerator manufacturing plant will be out of work starting in July — at least temporarily.
Sweden-based Electrolux will lay off 1,255 workers at the company’s Anderson plant by year’s end, according to a notice filed this month with the state Department of Employment and Workforce.
The notice follows a joint venture announcement in April between Electrolux and China-based appliance maker Midea Group. As part of the deal, the companies will retool the Anderson plant to make washers and dryers.
In a statement, Electrolux said: “The facility will shift from refrigeration to advanced laundry manufacturing, with new technology and upgraded production lines. These enhancements will create jobs that require advanced manufacturing skills and open opportunities for advancement.”
The partners plan to restart production in the first half of 2027 and will eventually again employ about 1,200 workers, hiring gradually throughout 2027 and 2028.
“We are continuing to invest in the Anderson community and are committed to keeping production in the U.S.,” the company’s statement continued.
The company said in April it plans to invest the equivalent of $118 million total over the next three years between the laundry manufacturing facility in Anderson and its refrigeration manufacturing plant in Juarez, Mexico.
Under the terms of the agreement, Electrolux will control a 55% share of the Anderson operation while Midea holds 45%.
Electrolux has been operating in Anderson since 1988.
Courtesy of South Carolina Daily Gazette
