GE Appliances’ dishwasher factory is the recipient of the 2024 Assembly Plant of the Year award sponsored by ASSEMBLY Magazine. The world-class facility was chosen for the 21st annual award because the 71-year-old plant has been modernized with a variety of state-of-the-art production tools and technology. The innovative facility excels at using automation and robotics, in addition to deploying the latest digital manufacturing processes.
“We may exist in the same building, but everything about the process and layout has changed,” says Tim Vibbert, executive director and plant manager. “Every inch of this factory has been improved and renovated in the last eight years. Today, there are more assembly lines, more complexity and more material movement than in the past.
“One thing that makes AP3 unique is its designation as a ‘supersite,’ meaning that the vast majority of all dishwashers we sell, and all five brands under the GE Appliances House of Brands, are made right here,” notes Vibbert. “Versus our peers within GE Appliances, we have a similar number of operators and output, but have a significantly higher amount of automation.
“AP3 is currently being used as a benchmark within GE Appliances with respect to productivity, manufacturing process elimination and operational cost,” adds Vibbert, a U.S. Army veteran and West Point graduate who previously served as plant manager of the nearby laundry products facility. “We’ve organized our teams and developed a distinct set of collaborative metrics to tackle industry pressures, while still delivering cost out. In addition, we are the pilot site for new systems, like our latest activities in material flow.”
