OREANDA-NEWS.   GE today announced plans to invest USD 30 million and add more than 150 jobs, expanding capacity of GE Lighting’s domestic manufacturing operations to meet growing consumer demand for GE Energy-Efficient Soft White light bulbs. This announcement is part of GE’s continued investment in advanced manufacturing excellence, pairing the best people with the best technologies. The announcement coincides with a new agreement between Walmart and GE, as part of Walmart’s USD 50 billion domestic manufacturing commitment to bring more American-made products to consumers. This agreement will put U.S.-made GE Energy-Efficient Soft White light bulbs on the shelves of 3,400 Walmart Stores by summer 2014.

Recruitment and hiring for the new manufacturing positions will occur over the coming months at three GE plants in Bucyrus and Circleville, Ohio, and Mattoon, Illinois. These new positions add to the more than 700 employees currently at work across the three plants.

GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt said, “As a company whose history dates back more than 130 years, we understand that to grow, we have to invest—in R&D and in workers. Today’s announcement is evidence of our continued commitment to creating advanced manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and yet another sign of an American manufacturing renewal.”

GE and Walmart have a rich history of collaborative innovation. Working with GE, Walmart helped to pioneer the development, testing and use of LED systems in the retail setting. Walmart was a first-mover in the use of LED signage, and it helped GE to conceive and perfect the application of LEDs in refrigerated display cases. Walmart store parking lots in the U.S. and abroad were among the first in the industry to switch to LED.

“Today marks another significant milestone in Walmart’s valued relationship with GE and our effort to grow U.S. manufacturing,” says Bill Simon, Walmart U.S. President and CEO. “Earlier this year, we committed to buying an additional USD 50 billion in U.S.-made products over the next decade. Our collaboration with GE brings real progress that benefits our customers and associates alike.”

Since 2009, GE Lighting has invested more than a billion dollars to reshape the business, focusing on energy-efficient products and increasing R&D spending by 20 percent. GE has moved quickly to respond to increasing consumer demand for incandescent bulb alternatives, expanding existing manufacturing capabilities, while also working with Walmart to put domestically made bulbs into the hands of their consumers. Production of the domestically made bulbs will start the first half of 2014. GE Lighting operates its global headquarters and 17 plants and distribution centers—more than half of its global manufacturing footprint—in the U.S.