End of Westinghouse top mount fridge production at Orange factory

July 24th, 2015

Appliance News Fridges & Freezers

Yesterday, more than 700 refrigerators rolled off the assembly line at the Electrolux Home Products Refrigeration Plant in Orange, New South Wales, which is due to shut down in 2016.

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Amongst these fridges were the last Australian-made Westinghouse 420L top-mounts, marking the end of production run that has lasted for more than 30 years.

420L Westinghouse Fridge WTM4200WBRH420L Westinghouse Fridge WTM4200WBRH

According to the ABC, these Australian-made fridges have been in production since 1978, and while their design may have changed over the years, the models have remained consistently popular.

“This product has added a lot of volume for us as a factory and a business and you can probably say it’s been one of the reasons we’ve been going this long,” said Matthew Vickery, Production Manager at Electrolux.

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Electrolux general manager Mark O’Kane said the factory produced around 1 million of the fridges since the 1970s.

But the very last of these iconic fridges to be made in Orange will not be sold – according to the ABC, it will instead serve as something of a memento to the staff who are finishing up:

“It will be put aside and all of our employees will have the opportunity to sign the refrigerator and we’ll certainly be keeping it for historical purposes,” said Mr O’Kane.

The Electrolux plant in Orange was originally built as a munitions plant in 1942, and has since been used to manufacture products from the Electrolux, Westinghouse, Kelvinator and Simpson brands.

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In 2013, the global Electrolux board made the decision to shut down the plant as part of its strategy to consolidate its Asia-Pacific refrigeration production.

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According to the Central Western Daily, the end of production the Westinghouse 420L fridge coincided with the staged redundancy of over 40 full time employees, with 30+ more casual workers also due to be finishing up soon.  The plant employed approximately 550 workers at the time of the shutdown decision.

Members of the Appliances Online team were fortunate enough to tour the Electrolux fridge factory in 2012, and the 420L Westinghouse top mount refrigerator (available right-hinged and left-hinged) has certainly made an impression on our customers, as shown by the following reviews:

  • This was our second Westinghouse 420L. The first had been a seconds and had not had a good seal but it had lasted us 11 years. It had survived 2 moves. Buying this one new we hope it will last even longer. We like the size of both fridge and freezer. We prefer a white exterior as we feel silver marks too easily. White is easy to wipe down. Westinghouse is a brand that has lasted and has always been good for us. – Anonymous

  • I love this fridge. It is so quiet, looks great and holds a lot more food than I thought possible. I enjoy the ice-maker & the fruit/vege compartment (although I thought it was small) it actually holds more than my previous fridge & being see-through helps locate food easily. – Julie E

  • My old Westinghouse was 37 years-old, so I figured it was high time I upgraded. The new fridge is great – quiet, sleek, plenty of space and easy to clean. I also did some research and found that modern fridges use less energy, which means cheaper to run. It’s all good. – Janie H

  • A great unit. A perfect size. Love the ice cube dispenser and the lockable section for medications. Large crisper drawer which certainly has kept our vegies crisp and fresh. – Alfred S

  • I love this fridge, especially the ice maker. The interior has an excellent design and the operation is quiet and unobtrusive. – Lorraine S

  • So far I am happy with the fridge time will only tell how it performs overall. The shelving and compartments are poisitioned ok an everyone loves the ice cube maker great idea for the size of the fridge. – Kathy M

Mark joined Appliances Online in November 2011 and has since learned more than he ever expected to know about appliances. He enjoys looking for new and unusual ways for to solve everyday problems using typical household appliances. When he’s not toiling at the desks of Appliances Online and Big Brown Box, he tries to find time to write the next big bestseller and draw satirical cartoons, but is too easily distracted by TV, music and video games. Mark’s favourite appliance is the Dyson Groom Tool, as he loves the concept of vacuuming your dog. Google+

2 responses to “End of Westinghouse top mount fridge production at Orange factory”

  1. Linda says:

    I nearly bought one of these but decided on the bottom mount due to getting older and I keep more fresh than frozen. I love it. I hope everyone supports Australian made more often so we don’t see more closures like this. A sad day for the workers in these country areas.

  2. Mark Bristow says:

    Thanks for your comment, Linda – we’re fans of the bottom-mount fridge design as well. We also wish all the best to the departing workers for the future.

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