Whirlpool Marks a Milestone

Whirlpool converted an auto parts factory into a state-of-the-art dryer plant in 1955.

Celebrating the 70th anniversary of its Marion, Ohio dryer plant

YSN Staff

Whirlpool is commemorating the 70th anniversary of what it calls “a cornerstone of its U.S. manufacturing footprint”— its clothes dryer factory in Marion, Ohio.

Whirlpool acquired the facility in 1955 from Motor Products Corp., a maker of automobile components, and converted the 240,000-square-foot structure into what, at the time, was considered a state-of-the-art dryer assembly plant.

According to Assembly Magazine, the retrofitted plant featured advanced metal stamping presses, large welders for fabricating frames and cabinets, pneumatic fastening equipment, an electrostatic paint system, subassembly lines for components such as gas burners and five miles of conveyors.

“There is no other factory like it in the world,” said Jason Ebert, Whirlpool’s senior VP for North American manufacturing. “My father was an engineer at the Marion plant and my grandfather worked here in the 1950s; I am following in their footsteps.”

Starting with a team of just 235 employees, the first clothes dryer rolled off the Marion line on Nov. 1, 1955. From there, the plant — strategically located near a major rail hub — was able to quickly scale to an output of 300 dryers per day, meeting the growing demand of postwar consumers for the convenience of modern appliances.

Today, with nearly 2,000 employees, the factory can produce up to 22,000 dryers per day.

To Ebert, it’s those very workers that make the Marion plant truly special. “This facility represents decades of American hard work and ingenuity to make clothes dryers millions of homes rely on every day,” he said.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine echoed Ebert, describing the Marion plant as “a powerful example of the hard work, talent and innovation of the community. For 70 years, this facility and its workers have not only produced appliances found in homes across the country, but it has also provided good-paying jobs for families across Marion and surrounding communities.”

Whirlpool marked the milestone last month with a private celebration at the facility for current and past employees that included plant tours for family members.

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