BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Whirlpool Corp. has sold a number of former Maytag Corp. facilities in Newton, Iowa; Florence, S.C.; Galesburg and Herrin, Ill.; Searcy, Ark.; and Ranson, W.Va. Whirlpool acquired Maytag in 2006.“We are pleased to see the transition plans for each of the former Maytag properties,” says David L. Swift, president, Whirlpool North America. “We believe that the sale of these properties and the resulting future reuse and redevelopment is another important step forward in the ongoing transition of each of the communities.”Whirlpool has sold the majority of the Maytag headquarters building complex to Iowa Telecom. Following the sale, some of the property will be transferred to the Des Moines Area Community College to be converted and used as a regional vocational training center. In the near future, Whirlpool has the option to sell to the Jasper Community Foundation the vacant Maytag manufacturing facility in Newton. Plans call for the elimination of the old buildings to improve the area with a planned green space.Whirlpool Corp., headquartered in Benton Harbor, Mich. (shown), plans to lease back the Newton washer/dryer factory and adjacent support facilities through February 2008 to ensure proper cleaning and shutdown of the operations.Whirlpool has sold the former Maytag manufacturing facilities located in Galesburg and Herrin, Ill.; Searcy, Ark.; Ranson, W.Va. and Newton, Iowa, together as a package to Industrial Realty Group (IRG) of Los Angeles.Whirlpool will lease back the plants in Herrin and Searcy through April 2007, to ensure proper cleaning and shutdown operations occur as planned.Whirlpool will also lease back the Newton plant and the adjacent manufacturing support facilities through February 2008, to ensure proper cleaning and shutdown operations occur as planned. Whirlpool will continue to operate one of the manufacturing support facilities adjacent to the Newton plant for up to five years to support the production of spare parts. Whirlpool previously announced that the Newton plant would close in the second half of 2007.
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