General Electric said Monday it is unveiling a new top-load washing machine design that will mark the biggest new product launch in its laundry division in two decades.
The company, whose GE Appliances headquarters is in South Louisville, is expected to roll out the new product and manufacturing line at an event Tuesday morning.
GE employs more than 6,000 people in Louisville.
Swedish company Electrolux has made a $3.3 billion bid to buy GE Appliances. But federal regulators at the Justice Department sued in July to block the sale, saying the acquisition could lessen competition and lead to higher prices for consumer home appliances. In its lawsuit, the Justice Department argues that Electrolux, GE and Whirlpool account for 90 percent of the home cooking appliances market in the U.S. — a figure Electrolux has disputed.
The new product launch also comes after a massive fire in April that destroyed Building 6, a warehouse the company used to store supplies. GE also leased some of the building to Louisville-based Derby Supply Chain Solutions.
Late in July, Metro arson investigators released a report saying GE had been warned about outdated sprinklers in Building 6 more than a year before the fire. The company challenged that report, saying it contained "factual errors."