GE Appliances Launches Water Filter Manufacturing at its Global HQ

Tired of buying counterfeit water filters for your GE Appliances refrigerator? GEA has you covered with a new manufacturing operation.

GE Appliances today at its Appliance Park global headquarters in Louisville, KY launched a water filter manufacturing line, part of a $3 billion investment in production, supply chain resilience and job creation in the U.S. The high-demand water filters are used in refrigerators.

Integrator ATC Automation, based in Cookville, TN, used virtual reality, digital twins and simulation tools to design the new line that fully automates assembly and packaging operations and incorporates robots supported by vision systems.

“This investment is exactly what advanced manufacturing should look like in America. We’re combining cutting-edge automation, digital tools and highly skilled teams to build a manufacturing operation that raises the bar on quality and efficiency,” says Bill Good, vice president of manufacturing at GEA.

Fake Filters Aren’t Healthy

Concern over counterfeit water filters helped motivate investment in the new line that adds 30 positions at Appliance Park.

“Counterfeit and deceptively labeled water filters are sold every day through online channels, often appearing identical to brand-name products, but they don’t meet the safety, performance, and structural standards consumers expect,” said Jill Notini, vice president of communications at the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

GEA in 2022 joined forces with Amazon to sue 16 defendants that attempted to sell the counterfeit GE-branded filters online. Apparently, that wasn’t enough.