Whirlpool celebrates new Trump tariffs, adding 200 jobs in Ohio

At least one local manufacturer is celebrating the Trump administration’s move to slam down new tariffs on imported goods.

Whirlpool Corp. said it is adding 200 jobs after the administration imposed a tariff of up to 50 percent on large residential washing machines, a penalty aimed squarely at rival manufacturers Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc.

The new full-time employees will work at a factory in Clyde, Ohio, Whirlpool said Monday. The company also said the administration’s action will also result in new jobs in Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee.

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Whirlpool has about 10,000 workers at five manufacturing plants, including about 1,000 at its Greenville facilities in Darke County.

Last year, Whirlpool cut the ribbon on a $17 million doubling in size of its Ohio Factory Distribution Center in Greenville, a site that supports shipments of KitchenAid small appliances.

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“This is a victory for American workers and consumers alike,” Jeff Fettig, Whirlpool chief executive, said in a statement Monday. “By enforcing our existing trade laws, President Trump has ensured American workers will compete on a level playing field with their foreign counterparts, enabled new manufacturing jobs here in America and will usher in a new era of innovation for consumers everywhere.”

The administration also announced tariffs on imported solar cells and modules.

Jim Bustillo, owner of Miamisburg’s Star City Solar, which sells and installs solar cells and components, said the tariffs will likely make some of the products he sells more expensive. But’s he’s OK with that.

“We need to protect American jobs,” Bustillo said Tuesday.

The products he sells are a mix of American-made and imported products. But he said he assures customers that solar equipment pays for itself in time.

“Solar panels are not an expense,” Bustillo said. “They’re an investment.”

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“The president’s action makes clear again that the Trump administration will always defend American workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses in this regard,” Robert Lighthizer, U.S. trade representative, said in a statement.

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