By next year, 100% of the washers Whirpool sells in the U.S., will have been made in the United States.

This is notable as Whirpool’s CEO Jeff Fettig recently spoke to the Toledo Rotary Club about claims made by some companies that it isn’t cost effective to manufacture in the U.S.

According to Tyrel Linkhorn in The Toledo Blade, 82% of what Whirpool sells in the U.S.A. is made in the U.S.A. Says Linkhorn:

The company's labor and benefit costs are considerably higher in Ohio than they would be in some other countries, but Mr. Fettig said they're more than offset by productivity gains and money saved in logistics.

In general, Mr. Fettig said he doesn't buy claims that companies can't manufacture their products cost effectively in the United States. He believes the offshoring storm has calmed, and expects to see some operations continue to shift back to U.S. soil.

Read more here.

Image by Flickr user View of the World, used following Creative Commons guidelines.