New refrigerator factory opens in Mexico

Hans Stråberg, president and CEO of Electrolux, opened the Group’s new world-class refrigerator factory in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

The new Electrolux factory is one of Mexico’s largest industrial projects, representing an investment of more than USD 100 million. The new factory has a manufacturing capacity of more than 1,000,000 refrigerators annually. Approximately 60% of factory purchases are expected to be from local businesses. The factory will produce large capacity side-by-side refrigerators under company brands Electrolux and Frigidaire. The refrigerators will mainly be exported to the US and Canada, but will also be sold to selected retailers in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean. Employment at start up is about 800, ramping up to full employment of about 3,000 expected in 2006. More than 100 managers, supervisors and operators have spent up to 54 weeks of training at another Electrolux factory in the US. The Ciudad Juárez factory is an environmentally advanced refrigerator factory, designed to produce no harmful emissions to the air or to the water supply.