LG celebrates opening of first US washing machine plant

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – LG Electronics Inc. has officially unveiled its first washing machine plant in the United States.

Company and local officials gathered Wednesday in Clarksville, Tennessee, to celebrate the South Korean appliance manufacturer’s 1 million-square-foot (92,900-square meter) facility.

Tennessee’s U.S. Rep. Mark Green, Gov. Bill Lee, Economic Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and South Korean Consul General Kim Young-jun were in attendance.

Lee called the plant one of the most impressive in the state.

The $360 million facility has hired 550 employees and expects to hire as many as 700. Located about 50 miles (80.5 kilometres) northwest of Nashville, the site was selected after a national search in 2011.

The LG plant will be near a new Google data centre on the former Hemlock Semiconductor site that was shuttered in 2013