The Popular US Appliance Company That's Owned By China

GE Appliances, a well-known American brand since 1907, was sold to China's Haier Smart Home for $5.6 billion in a deal completed in June 2016. It marked one of the largest acquisitions in the home appliance industry, and gave Haier a stronger foothold in the U.S. market as the owner of one of the top five home appliance makers in the country. The deal also secured the rights to use the GE Appliances brand for 40 years, giving Haier a long runway to grow its image through a trusted American name. 

Despite the change in ownership, Haier has kept GE Appliances' headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, also known as Appliance Park, a 750-acre complex with five full-scale factories, its own zip code, and over 8,000 workers. About 1,600 of which are engineers, building everything from dishwashers to high-end refrigerators all in one location. Haier also owns factories in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina, plus an innovation lab at the University of Louisville. The company also gained a strong U.S. distribution system, with 12 major centers and 170 local hubs able to deliver appliances to nearly 90% of American homes in one day. This has given Haier the supply chain, and dealer access, to successfully compete across the country. Plus, the deal wasn't nearly as controversial as China's acquisition of the Waldorf Astoria, nor did it arouse suspicions of foreign invasion like the takeover of Smithfield Foods.

Despite early concerns that Chinese ownership might lead to outsourcing, Haier has remained committed to U.S. manufacturing. A June 2025 press release confirmed a new $490 million investment in a Kentucky washer plant, a move expected to create 800 local jobs. The project is part of what the company calls its zero-distance strategy of building close to consumers. According to Haier's 2024 Economic Impact Report, the company directly employs 15,500 people in the U.S. and supports nearly 98,000 more jobs across the country through its broader operations.

Since taking over GE Appliances in 2016, Haier has poured more than $3.5 billion into improving its U.S. operations, especially at Appliance Park. A major step came in 2018, when the company invested $200 million to add a new dishwasher line and 400 jobs, according to The Seattle Times. Instead of building from scratch, Haier upgraded existing facilities. In LaFayette, Georgia, Haier wrapped up a $180 million expansion in June 2025 that added 600 jobs and tripled the number of robots at the cooking products plant. This upgrade also introduced flexible assembly lines designed for next-generation induction ranges. Back in Louisville, innovation runs through FirstBuild, an open makerspace, funded by Haier, that has helped design over 100 product prototypes.

In the first full year after the deal, Haier's global revenue rose 34% to $23.9 billion. This happened when refrigerators, ovens, and dishwashers made in Louisville started counting toward Haier's earnings. By 2019, the company's total revenue worldwide reached about $29.1 billion. In 2024, the company made its highest-ever global revenue of about $40.1 billion, and earned 12.9% more profit than the year before. A big reason for that growth was North America, where sales rose to around $11.2 billion, up 37% compared to 2019. As of early 2025, the company made more than $41 billion in sales over the last year, showing it's still doing well, even as large electronics retailers are closing stores.

Louisville's success has also helped Haier put money into automation, shipping networks, and new kitchen products. Because its factories are in the U.S., the company is also better equipped to keep costs under control at a time when tariffs are making Chinese exports more expensive. Plus, according to the Coalition for a Prosperous America, GE Appliances moved production of its four-door refrigerators from China to Louisville back in 2021 in order to avoid paying extra costs from U.S. tariffs.