LAFAYETTE RANGE MANUFACTURER GETS COOKING
Roper Corp. announces $118M investment, plans to add 600 jobs
Walker County’s largest employer has announced it will invest $118 million to expand manufacturing operations at its plant, adding 600 new jobs.
Roper Corp., a subsidiary of GE Appliances, a Haier company, made the announcement Dec. 21. The plant, at 1507 Broomtown Road in LaFayette, currently employs 2,000 people and produces cooktops, free-standing ranges and wall ovens under the Monogram, Café, GE Profile, GE, Haier and Hotpoint brands.
“Roper Corp. has been a key part of Walker County for almost 50 years,” Roper Corp. President Lois Crandell said. “Our relationships are strong, and we have thrived here.”
The expansion more firmly cements the company’s continued investment in the community. In 2019 GE Appliances invested $43 million in the plant and created 100 jobs. Despite the job losses and shuttering of businesses during the
COVID-19 pandemic, Crandell, in October
2020, said the plant could not hire enough people because the industry was booming.
The expansion, scheduled to be completed in 2024, will not only boost employment to 2,600, but will also increase production capacity and enable manufacturing technology to be advanced.
“This announcement is a testament to our strong logistics infrastructure, which is supported by the Appalachian Regional Port, and to our strong talent pipeline in northwest Georgia,” Gov. Brian Kemp said, praising the investment by the Georgia Made-certified company.
Georgia Made is a state program acknowledging the people and industries responsible for manufacturing a wide variety of products across the state.