Stoves move through an assembly line at Roper Corp.'s plant in LaFayette.GE today announced an $88 million expansion at its LaFayette, Ga.-based cooking products plant, as part of a $1 billion investment the company is making in its appliances division.
The so-called "insourcing" initiative seeks to move major operations back to U.S. plants from overseas, where many plants were moved during the 90s by manufacturers seeking sources of cheap labor. Advances in automation technology, increased shipping expenses, exchange rate fluctuations and rising overseas labor costs have brought many of those operations back to the U.S.
The Roper Corp. plant, which today employs more than 1,300 employees, could also see a bump in hiring, though officials were not immediately able to verify the number of planned hires.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Friday will cut the ribbon on the Roper plant's expansion, along with Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and plant manager Scott Ossewaarde.