Blankenship has years of experience at GE

Blankenship, who will report to GE Home & Business Solutions President and CEO, Charlene Begley, comes to the job after serving as the vice president and general manager for the Commercial Engines Operation for GE Aviation. In this new job, Blankenship is expected to expand the appliance department’s role in producing and managing home energy products and services.

Blankenship holds a BS in material engineering from VA Tech, as well as a doctorate in material science and engineering from the University of Virginia.

Blankenship’s Previous GE Jobs

Before accepting his new position, Blankenship was the general manager for Aero Energy, which is a division of GE Energy. He originally came to GE in 1992 and was a staff scientist at the Global Research Center. He joined the Aviation section in 1996 and worked in some of the section’s product and program management jobs prior to being chosen for his previous leadership position in Aero Energy.

GE is an Innovative, Well-known Company

The General Electric Company is headquartered in Fairfield, Conn. and has four sections: Energy, Technology Infrastructure, Capital Finance and Consumer and Industrial. Blankenship will preside over GE Appliances & Lighting, which is known worldwide as an innovative leader in the making of major appliances, lighting systems, and services for both home and commercial usage.

Over the past few years the company has worked hard to find ways to meet the world’s environmental challenges and still produce quality products. The company makes products under such brands as Monogram, Profile, Café, GE, Reveal, Hotpoint, Energy Smart, Vio, Tetra, and Immersion. Customers are encouraged to friend GE Appliances on its Facebook page where they can watch videos and learn about the newest upcoming appliances and services being produced by the company. They also have a Twitter account, as well as a website at GE Appliances.

GE Appliances is working to help keep America “Green”

Blankenship will be leading the charge by GE Appliances mission to help keep American “green” through more energy efficient appliances. As of 2011, GE has more than 400 appliances from stoves to washers and dryers that are energy efficient and meet Energy Star standards. GE Appliances customers have come to trust the GE name for home appliances that both meet their needs and help them to lower their energy costs. Whether you need a dishwasher, washing machine, stove, refrigerator or other major appliance, GE Appliances offer a multitude of styles, colors and types of products that will help enrich everyone’s daily lives in various ways.

GE has branched out into the world and now has global offices in the areas of infrastructure, finance and media that work together to meet the needs of their customers. These offices are always looking for new and more efficient methods of keeping up with the ever changing world demographics and environmental concerns. GE is one of the pioneers in providing products and services that will help give the world cleaner, effective and efficient technologies for the infrastructure of the future.

Filling these responsibilities is going to take a dedicated and powerful person to serve as the president and CEO for GE Appliances and Blankenship is ready, willing and eager to pursue his new venture with the company. So, welcome Blankenship as the new President and CEO!

Everyday Appliances: What To Do When They Stop Working

Just How Important Are Appliances In Our Lives?

A hundred years ago, no one would even dare to imagine that our life would one day be dominated by the presence of electrical and electronic appliances. Back then, a great deal of willpower and manpower was needed in all tasks, and even menial tasks like heavy lifting and cleaning was done by humans. Today, a lot of things can be accomplished with just a single press of a button or twist of a dial. From cleaning your plates to keeping your food cold, not to mention removing dust from your floors, electrical appliances have taken a startling amount of control over our lives. Televisions, air conditioning units, refrigerators and washing machines have all been part of the invention time-line and have appeared at different points of our life, making things much easier for us in many ways. Even the simple electronic egg-beater has taken the task of manually beating eggs together in a bowl away from us and doing a better job at it.

The main benefit of all this is that it has made seemingly meaningless and repetitive tasks much easier than before. Take the simple example of a blender. While a woman would have to grind away at her chilli with a mortar and pestle many years ago, the same effect can be achieved by just a press of the button of the simple appliance known universally as the blender. With this convenience, tasks which are essentially simple but time-consuming can be simplified and done in a fraction of the time with almost no sweat being raised at all.

How To Take Good Care Of Your Appliances

Electrical appliances are just as sensitive as humans in more than a few ways. For one, they must also be taken good care of if they are to be expected to outlive the normal expectancy date which is placed on most appliances. For instance, a good refrigerator will not be expected to die off within the first 10 years of its purchase unless something goes wrong in the care of that particular electrical appliance. One key part of making sure your expensive electrical appliances last as long as you want them to is by analyzing the instruction manual before even starting to use the appliance. The rationale behind this is that the appliance can be used optimally if we know exactly how it works, and if we can use it in optimal conditions and for the right duties. All this information is available on the operating manual, and sadly this is commonly left aside as people end up experimenting with their appliances, sometimes with dire consequences. Occurrences of people using vacuum cleaners to try and pick up coins off the floor can easily end up backfiring as the vacuum cleaner gets stuck and damaged in the process.

Besides going through the operation manual, another way to make sure your appliances are taken good care of is to always unplug them from the power source when they are not in use. This allows the electrical appliance to ‘rest’ without being subjected to any electrical current and the natural wear and tear process is reduced. This way, the longevity of your product can be maintained and you might end up extending the ‘life expectancy’ of the appliance by months or even years. Last but not least, getting your appliances checked out when they show any signs of problems is a good idea. When it comes to appliance repair, Memphis is a good town for this as there are some very good establishments which are experts in taking care of electrical appliances.

What To Do When Something Starts To Go Wrong

It is usually a rather scary moment when you see your air conditioning unit starting to leak, your fridge making weird whirring sounds or your vacuum cleaner refusing to start up. Besides being inconvenient in the sense that you will not be able to gain function of the appliance at that time, there are other problems that can arise when appliances start causing problems in their daily function. For instance, a refrigerator which is not functioning will end up not only causing a flooded kitchen floor from all the melted ice, but also end up needing you to throw out all the spoiled food in your fridge and get new food. For the few days before getting your fridge repaired, you will not have a proper place to store all the food.

When it comes to appliance repair, Memphis is certainly a good place to visit. The appliance repair establishments there have trained staff who are experts in dealing with any appliance repair imaginable, from broken motors to damaged belts and malfunctioning power circuits. The types of appliance repair Memphis has to offer depends on the extent of damage which has occurred with your appliance, of course. The lesser the damage, the more likely that you will be able to get away with small appliance repair jobs without much hassle. However, for a larger problem which might require the replacement of your appliance parts, the work which needs to be done is more likely to take a longer amount of time. Nevertheless, in terms of appliance repair, Memphis is certainly one of the best places to bring your appliances to for good handiwork and dedicated treatment.

Conclusion

There is a famous saying which goes as such, ‘prevention is always better than cure’. This statement is true in so many ways, not just for the human body but also for material objects like your everyday electrical appliances. The amount of wear and tear which they encounter on a daily basis will eventually catch up to them, and problems with your appliances are bound to occur regardless of how well you take care of your items. When the time comes forappliance repair, Memphis remains the best town for you to get your washer or favorite microwave all fixed up.

“Be even more amazing” is the appliance company’s motto. They create sleek, functional, innovative products carefully designed to make the average person’s day more efficient and their chores considerably easier. Last month, Electrolux opened a brand new multi-million dollar plant in Memphis, TN.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place on October 6 with the city mayor and various state senators and councilmen in attendance. For a total of ten months, Memphis city officials worked hard to convince the appliance company to establish a plant there. The opening of the plant institutes one of the largest private-public partnerships of its kind.

Public officials are very optimistic about the Electrolux plant and the economical boost it promises to the area. In fact, the opening of the enormous facility adds about 1,200 jobs for residents in the city. It is estimated that 1,240 jobs will be added within 5 years of the commencement of production. In the end, the move should prove to be a profitable one for both Electrolux and the local economy.

More than merely helping to generate healthier economics for the area, the opening of the Electrolux plant has established the company’s new home base as Tennessee. Memphis now becomes the North American Center for Electrolux development and manufacturing of cooking products. There are multiple reasons the appliance company chose to make this move. This city is the ideal location as it is central to various resources that will keep Electrolux running smoothly.

One of the biggest factors that led Electrolux business leaders to select this the Memphis locale is that it is conveniently closer to Springfield, TN, the base of the company’s cooking operations and other resources. It is also a strategic central location that is increases the company’s reach to customers and is predicted to improve sales. Electrolux is also counting on the city’s skilled labor pool to provide the manpower needed to make it all a success.

Construction of the nearly $200 million plant will take some years, with the company anticipating the facility to be completely operational by 2014. The Electrolux plant will utilize innovative technology and production methods to create their specialty cooking products and appliances. As the company continues to provide customers with beautiful kitchen items, the new Electrolux plant promises to help the city of Memphis “be even more amazing” via the generation of jobs and economy.

This expansion is projected to have $555 million dollar impact over the next 15 years. In about a year 100 new workers will be hired to the plant. The plant itself has been an automobile body factory as well as a WWII aircraft production plant. Currently there are 294 employees, there were 640 when Kimberly-Clark closed in 1994. Kruger has put a smile on the faces of not just elected officials but the economic development personnel and the Memphis union representatives. There have been two bankruptcies at the plant since Kimberly-Clark left and this purchase is a bright spot for the people of Memphis.

Kruger is also investing in the inner city neighborhood of Memphis equally affected by the loss of manufacturing jobs since Kimberly-Clark left. The mayor of Memphis is relieved by the incoming Kruger development. The company is in need of hard workers and Memphis is full of people willing to work hard. The Memphis government wants to revitalize the Uptown, North Downtown, and North Memphis area. Kruger’s arrival will help with this plan. This revitalization will help the new workers feel safer as the area will be more aesthetically pleasing. Security increases will also be a part of the new revitalization plan.

This plan also does not mean Kruger is closing any plants in Canada. The addition of the Memphis plant will increase profits in the USA and Canada and give Kruger a stronger hold on the tissue paper market all across North America. This new factory will only increase the production of other sites overall making Kruger a more viable selection by consumers with increased availability. Officials from Kruger Inc. are excited to be expanding into Memphis and the citizens of Memphis are delighted to have them.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Energy introduced a rating to be placed on the most efficient products on the market. This rating is called the “Energy Star – Most Efficient Rating.” The Most Efficient Rating seal will recognize the products that are efficient beyond all others in their product category. Only the top five percent of models in a category will receive the rating. This rating will apply first to five categories: heating equipment; cooling equipment; refrigerators-freezers; and clothes washers. From the Department of Energy, “Products that receive the Most Efficient designation demonstrate exceptional and cutting-edge efficiency performance that environmentally minded consumers and early adopters value.”

The Most Efficient seal is an approach taken to get companies to invest in and create products that are going to be more efficient than even government mandates require. Some of the first brands to make the five percent rating are: Electrolux; LG; Panasonic; Rheem; Nordyne; Samsung; Kenmore from Sears; and Insignia from Best Buy. The competition to build a better appliance is apparent by the consumer trends of the United States since the 1970s to desire more efficient and environmentally sound products. Between 1974 and 2008, the kilowatt per year usage has been on an almost steady down turn. The prices of these appliances trend mostly down, but at the same time the cubic feet of these appliance raises implying better capacity for these appliances.

The average refrigerator in 1975 used 25 percent more energy than a refrigerator in the United States now. This is also despite the fact that refrigerators are 20 percent larger than in 1975. Nowadays, they have more functions than just cooling, they offer ice makers and touch screen controls for temperatures. The refrigerator never goes off. Energy efficiency is most important for them in this case. Many of the brands that exceed the government efficiency rating do so by at least 20 percent. There are over two dozen Energy Star qualified brands including Amana and Whirlpool. Unfortunately, the most efficient refrigerators are not the trendiest. Side by side refrigerators tend to use between 10 to 25 percent more energy than freezer on top models. They also have a larger capacity, between 16 and 20 cubic feet. The addition of 14 to 20 percent of usage is attributed to the addition of ice makers.

These new features also add to the energy usage of refrigerators. Some refrigerators have built in computers. These computers provide LCD touch screens. Some also offer Wi-Fi connectivity and applications that are necessary for use in the kitchen. Applications like Pandora, Twitter or Weatherbug can be found among many others. Consumers can also control different features of the refrigerator using the LCD display. Consumers can even decide the shape of the ice that comes out of the ice maker. Consumers have access to an Energy Start savings calculator at www.energystar.gov. This site will tell consumers how much money they are saving by replacing their old appliance with a new and more energy efficient appliance.

There is a buzz of excitement that is sweeping across the residents of Tennessee as appliance manufacturer; Whirlpool Corporation announced its intention to invest in a new 400,000 square foot distribution center in Cleveland.

This announcement brings to about 6 the number of large projects that Tennessee has landed in the last few years.

“To build a factory and to be able to be in production, takes time,” said Al Holaday, Whirlpool’s vice president of manufacturing in North America. “We’re looking forward. We believe in the U.S. economy.”

The new Whirlpool Corporation plant will be constructed on a 120 acre property that is undeveloped, on the corner of Benton Pike and Michigan Avenue Road. Construction is set to start in mid October with production expected to start in the beginning of 2012.

“We understand and respect the heritage and history of our existing manufacturing facility,” said Dicky Walters, plant leader, Whirlpool Cleveland Division. “But we need this new plant and it will be nice to operate out of a new facility.”

With the way the economy has been, very few Americans have had job security. Cheryl Johnston, one of Whirlpools appliance employees says that with the coming of the new Factory, “It’s going to keep us all working”.

Whirlpool employs more than 2,000 workers in its Cleveland operations, making it the largest employer in the area. With the coming of the new factory, it is expected that another 130 new jobs will be created.  “This is one of the largest job retention projects in the nation” said Walters.

“We’re grateful to our team in Cleveland, as well as the local, state and federal officials who supported this project to retain and grow jobs in Tennessee,” Holaday said. “Whirlpool is proud to employ more U.S. manufacturing workers than any (other) appliance maker selling products in the U.S.”

Initially, the appliance manufacturer was looking into building a new factory either in Mexico or any other part of America. However, the idea to build a new plant specifically in Cleveland, came up when Walters led a team that was tasked to find ways to modernize the existing factory. The team’s task was later expanded and now they not only had to modernize the existing factory, but they were also asked to find a way to increase market share in the cooking category. This led to a decision to build a ‘green’ factory in Cleveland.

“.. it became apparent that we needed to think bigger,” Walters clarified. “We needed to think along the lines of how we improve our market share.”

The new factory will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. This is a certification that guarantees a project under construction is using environmentally friendly building practices.  This system was developed by the US Green Building council.

“The new, premium cooking center of excellence that we will be building in Cleveland, is evidence of our commitment to consumers and our confidence in the U.S. market,” said Marc Bitzer, president, Whirlpool Corporation North America.

The appliance manufacturer says that this new plant means that Whirlpool will be “..Here for a long time to come.”  Whirlpool owned other facilities in Oxford Mississippi, and Evansville, Indiana that they closed down. It is now devising a new strategy to modernize and reorganize its operations.

The current plant is over 100 years old, and consists of Plant 1 East, Plant 1 West and Plant 2. Plant 2 is the old Hardwick Stove building. Another facility, formerly known as Plant 3, was closed a few years ago from manufacturing, and is currently being used as a warehouse.

Once the new plant is built, all operations in the existing plant will move to the new one. The process of finding someone to buy the old plant will then begin. The new owner of the existing plant, which is located seven miles from where the new one will be, will probably take possession after 2013.

Whirlpool has in the past, worked with local and state government leaders as well as the chamber of Commerce and the community to find new owners every time they close a plant.

When Whirlpool closed its appliance facilities in Oxford and Evansville, over one thousand workers lost their jobs. The State of Tennessee has an unemployment rate of about 9.6%. With the coming of this new state-of-the-art factory, it is expected that the quality of life of many families will improve.

As US Rep Zach Wamp, R-Tenn put it, “Jobs is the No.1 issue”!

Shelby county Mayor Mark Luttrell was instrumental in sealing the deal last December. This was welcome news both for Memphis and Shelby County as they faced unemployment of 10.6% and 9.8% (respectively) at the time of the announcement (comparable to the national average). The announcement couldn’t have come at a better time. Although unemployment has come down a little in recent months many are still seeking work. This is expected to add a much needed jolt to the local economy, but it didn’t come easy.

The state invested more than $90 million to land this deal, and they did so against great competition. Other locations, including a site in Mexico, were considered. Mayor Luttrell says it was “very competitive”. The $90 million invested came out of tax paid bonds. Despite the large sum of money put into this venture up front, they are anticipating a good return on investment. Mayor Luttrell expects they should be able to easily double their investment.

The new manufacturing plant is scheduled to open in the summer of 2012, and will add an initial 1,200 jobs to Memphis. This is great news not only for those who are looking for work, but especially for those who were starting to lose hope. Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton commented that while the jobs will not be present in 2011, “hope will be under the tree because they’ll see help is on the way.” The average pay per employee will be around $13.50 per hour, with benefits included as well. Site selection magazine named this decision one of the top ten business deals in all North America for 2010.

Electrolux is as excited as the city of Memphis. They believe there to be a great strong workforce in Memphis that will prove to be valuable assets to the company.

While the welcome news of 1,200 much needed jobs has Memphis has sparked a ray of hope within Memphis residents, greater still is the ripple effect it is expected to create. This could be just the beginning of a big economic boom for the Bluff City. Thousands more jobs will be created in years to come. This will also serve as an example for other companies considering Memphis as an attractive place to operate their business. “There’s more to come”, promised Mayor Wharton to Memphis citizens.

There is a buzz of excitement that is sweeping across the residents of Tennessee as appliance manufacturer; Whirlpool Corporation announced its intention to invest in a new 400,000 square foot distribution center in Cleveland.

This announcement brings to about 6 the number of large projects that Tennessee has landed in the last few years.

“To build a factory and to be able to be in production, takes time,” said Al Holaday, Whirlpool’s vice president of manufacturing in North America. “We’re looking forward. We believe in the U.S. economy.”

The new Whirlpool Corporation plant will be constructed on a 120 acre property that is undeveloped, on the corner of Benton Pike and Michigan Avenue Road. Construction is set to start in mid October with production expected to start in the beginning of 2012.

“We understand and respect the heritage and history of our existing manufacturing facility,” said Dicky Walters, plant leader, Whirlpool Cleveland Division. “But we need this new plant and it will be nice to operate out of a new facility.”

With the way the economy has been, very few Americans have had job security. Cheryl Johnston, one of Whirlpools appliance employees says that with the coming of the new Factory, “It’s going to keep us all working”.

Whirlpool employs more than 2,000 workers in its Cleveland operations, making it the largest employer in the area. With the coming of the new factory, it is expected that another 130 new jobs will be created. “This is one of the largest job retention projects in the nation” said Walters.

“We’re grateful to our team in Cleveland, as well as the local, state and federal officials who supported this project to retain and grow jobs in Tennessee,” Holaday said. “Whirlpool is proud to employ more U.S. manufacturing workers than any (other) appliance maker selling products in the U.S.”

Initially, the appliance manufacturer was looking into building a new factory either in Mexico or any other part of America. However, the idea to build a new plant specifically in Cleveland, came up when Walters led a team that was tasked to find ways to modernize the existing factory. The team’s task was later expanded and now they not only had to modernize the existing factory, but they were also asked to find a way to increase market share in the cooking category. This led to a decision to build a ‘green’ factory in Cleveland.

“.. it became apparent that we needed to think bigger,” Walters clarified. “We needed to think along the lines of how we improve our market share.”

The new factory will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. This is a certification that guarantees a project under construction is using environmentally friendly building practices. This system was developed by the US Green Building council.

“The new, premium cooking center of excellence that we will be building in Cleveland, is evidence of our commitment to consumers and our confidence in the U.S. market,” said Marc Bitzer, president, Whirlpool Corporation North America.

The appliance manufacturer says that this new plant means that Whirlpool will be “..Here for a long time to come.” Whirlpool owned other facilities in Oxford Mississippi, and Evansville, Indiana that they closed down. It is now devising a new strategy to modernize and reorganize its operations.

The current plant is over 100 years old, and consists of Plant 1 East, Plant 1 West and Plant 2. Plant 2 is the old Hardwick Stove building. Another facility, formerly known as Plant 3, was closed a few years ago from manufacturing, and is currently being used as a warehouse.

Once the new plant is built, all operations in the existing plant will move to the new one. The process of finding someone to buy the old plant will then begin. The new owner of the existing plant, which is located seven miles from where the new one will be, will probably take possession after 2013.

Whirlpool has in the past, worked with local and state government leaders as well as the chamber of Commerce and the community to find new owners every time they close a plant.

When Whirlpool closed its appliance facilities in Oxford and Evansville, over one thousand workers lost their jobs. The State of Tennessee has an unemployment rate of about 9.6%. With the coming of this new state-of-the-art factory, it is expected that the quality of life of many families will improve.

As US Rep Zach Wamp, R-Tenn put it, “Jobs is the No.1 issue”!