OREANDA-NEWS. Today, GE (NYSE: GE) announced that it is celebrating the start of production of the first new GE Monogram® brand refrigerator product platform since 2001. The new product is part of a USD 20 million investment in the Selmer, Tenn., Monogram Refrigeration production facility. GE also announced the expansion of its warehousing operations to provide capacity for future growth. The new French door built-in refrigerator, part of the fastest-growing refrigeration configuration today*, is an addition to the other models made at the plant and is the first offering of its kind within the GE Monogram lineup.

State and local government officials, including Tennessee Commissioner Bill Hagerty and McNairy County Mayor Ronnie Brooks, joined GE executives and 140 employees at an event to unveil the new refrigerator during a ceremony at the facility at 11:00 a.m. CST today.

The USD 20 million investment included retooling a line to make the new product as well as new metal stamping and welding equipment that will increase capacity to insource more parts, thereby optimizing quality and efficiency. The investment and insourcing has created 10 new jobs in 2013, and more new jobs are expected to be added in the coming years.

At the same event, GE unveiled a new 120,000-square-foot warehouse that will replace the Selmer operation’s 40,000-square-foot warehouse. The new space can accommodate additional manufacturing and product parts insourcing.

“We couldn’t be happier with the progress we have made to manufacture products that meet the needs of style-conscious consumers who expect superior design,” said Ray Deming, general manager of Monogram Refrigeration Operation, LLC, a wholly owned affiliate of GE. “They expect us to exceed their expectations. It is critical that we invest in our products to maintain relevancy and contemporary style while also making our operations as competitive as possible.”