LOUISVILLE, KY—University of Louisville will offer graduate classes next to the assembly line at GE Appliance Park.

LOUISVILLE, KY—GE Appliances will hire 380 people for a new second shift at its refrigerator assembly plant here.

TOKYO—Panasonic Corp. plans to build a washing machine assembly plant in Europe as early as next year.

LOUISVILLE, KY—Approximately 5,000 people attended the open house at GE’s Appliance Park to celebrate the creation of 1,000 jobs and the opening of two new assembly lines.

SYRACUSE, NY—Bitzer Scroll Inc. is spending $5.5 million to expand is assembly plant here to make a new line of compressors. The company plans to add 60 jobs by 2016.

CLEVELAND, TN—Only 20 months after unveiling a plan to build a $200 million state-of-the-art assembly plant here, Whirlpool Corp. officially cut the ribbon Tuesday on the energy-efficient and environmentally friendly facility.

BENTON HARBOR, MI—The Commerce Department has ruled that Whirlpool Corp. and other U.S. appliance assemblers are being harmed by competitors importing certain refrigerators from South Korea and Mexico. The department found that Samsung, LG, Electrolux and other brands were illegally “dumping” some of their foreign-made appliances in the United States by selling the products at less than fair value.

LOUISVILLE, KY—As GE began production of electric water heaters at its newly renovated assembly plant here, company officials confirmed that hiring is under way for the launch of a refrigerator assembly line next month. The company plans to hire up to 1,300 people by 2014.

FORT SMITH, AR—Union members at Whirlpool’s refrigerator assembly plant here approved an “effects agreement” that stipulates how they will be paid as the company shuts down the plant in mid-2012.