New Sub-Zero Factory
Sub-Zero is building a $35.5 million factory in Richmond, KY and will be hiring 100 full time employees. Richmond is 29 miles south of Lexington, and 100 miles southeast of Louisville. Richmond is a town of 30,000 within Madison county, the residents of which have incomes 2/3 of the national average and 20% lower than the Kentucky average. We could as well tell you that the county's 78,714 citizens (2006) include among other minorities, 34 citizens native to Hawaii or other Pacific islands.
Yes, this is what we know about Richmond.
What will be built in the Richmond factory though, we have no idea. No information is provided in any story or press release that we've seen on google.
UPDATE Aug 20: CONFIRMED. One of our tipsters reports that the factory will be involved in the production of dishwashers.
UPDATE Aug 21: Assuming, and we are, that this is in fact a dishwasher factory, this could be problemo grande for ASKO, as ASKO is currently distributed with Sub-Zero nearly everywhere: Clarke, MKS, Fretz, Roth, Westye Southwest, Westye East, John Tisdel, Bradlee Distribution, Maroline, etc, etc....you get the picture.
Has ASKO worked a deal with Sub-Zero for its continued distribution, or is Sub-Zero planning on pitching ASKO from the bus?
As students of appliance history know only too well; though a dishwasher factory is required for the production of dishwashers, the factory, in and of itself, does not prove the existence of a product worthy to be called a dishwasher. For our complete opinion about dishwashers.
UPDATE Aug 22: The Richmond Register reported Aug 8: "The facility, which will produce dishwashers — a new product for the company — likely will break ground in spring 2008 and start production by mid-2009, said Paul Leuthe, corporate marketing director for Sub-Zero Wolf."
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