A re-shoring wave from a Chinese-owned enhancing its “made-in-America” bona fides is bringing more jobs and investment to a large plant in Georgia.
Roper Corp., which nearly a decade ago found itself in the hands of the Chinese giant Haier, already employs more than 2,500 people, the equivalent of more than a third of Lafayette, Ga.’s population.
The subsidiary of GE Appliances, which was acquired by Haier in a nearly $5.6 billion deal in 2016, was planning a $118 million expansion in time for the company’s 50th anniversary in 2023, but Roper upped the ante amid a trend toward bringing more jobs into the U.S. to offset rising costs and tariff tensions.
In June the company announced that it had completed that project, bringing the total investment to $180 million, more than $60 million more than initially planned, adding 600 jobs.
This is on top of a $43 million investment in Roper in 2019 that created 100 new jobs, as well as a new GE Appliances warehouse in Commerce, Ga.
The expansion adds to the $3.5 billion GE Appliances has invested across its U.S. operations since the Haier acquisition in 2016, focusing on enhancing efficiencies and upskilling workers by improving automation.
The new investments in LaFayette include the tripling of Roper’s robotics footprint, with production lines that flexibly make gas, electric and induction ranges based on consumer demand. These include the newly introduced GE Profile induction range. In part thanks to a state grant, the company is training workers in partnership with Georgia Northwestern Technical College.
“Our growth in LaFayette reflects Georgia’s vital role in driving U.S. manufacturing forward,” Roper President and Executive Director Luther Ingram said in a news release. “We’re not just building appliances—we’re building careers, strengthening communities, and powering the future of American industry.”
As of May, a “by the numbers” look at the company’s impact showed 2,550 workers, with 7,800 indirect jobs created, $256 million spent with 353 Georgia suppliers and an overall $2.45 billion contributed to the state’s economy.
Haier-owned GE has made domestic investment a core part of its expansion strategy in the U.S.On June 26, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced that GE Appliances was set to put another $490 million into its Louisville factory and headquarters to enhance production of washing machines, hiring 800 new workers.