From Sweden to Italy. So the US appliance giant has decided to reorganize the production of built-in microwave ovens. This was announced by Whirlpool stating that it intends to close the Swedish factory in Norrkoeping (334 employees, annual production of 400 pieces) making Cassinetta di Biandronno in the province of Varese become the hub for all the group's built-in appliances in the EMEA area (and for a small part also in the United States, for some dedicated platforms), according to what is envisaged in the plan of last June 28th.
The goal is to relaunch the competitiveness of its built-in products in the EMEA area. The plan includes the consolidation of the production of built-in microwaves in a single European hub of the built-in and the consolidation of research and development activities at the Cassinetta center of excellence. “The current production structure of the collection is no longer competitive. This plan will help us improve our cost position and create substantial economies of scale” explained Davide Castiglioni, vice president Industrial Operations of Whirlpool EMEA. The factory in Spini di Gardolo, in the province of Trento, will also close by the end of the year.
"With the transfer of production from the Norrkoeping site and with the pieces arriving from Trento (built-in refrigerators) - the company says - a production of around 2,4 million pieces could be reached at Cassinetta". Last year, Cassinetta's 1,7 employees produced 245 million pieces of built-in microwave ovens, refrigerators and hobs. The expansion and consolidation of the Varese company to create a hub for built-in appliances envisages investments of XNUMX million euros over the next three years for product innovation and process technology. And this opens up the possibility of new hires in Cassinetta, where there is also a research center. In Italy, Whirlpool has its European headquarters and three production sites (Naples, Siena and Varese).
In Sweden, on the other hand, negotiations have begun with union representatives "to manage – explained Whirlpool – the process in the best possible way, with respect for all those involved and trying to alleviate the impact on people as much as possible, as is traditional and in the values of the company”. In the first half of 2013, Whirlpool recorded a loss of 14 million dollars in Europe, but the company notes that the group "is moving to reach breakeven in the coming months".
