Whirlpool reducing staff in Amana

Whirlpool Corp. plans to reduce staff at its factory in Amana, but won't say how many people will be affected.

A company spokesperson confirmed Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool will conduct 'organizational change” at the factory this week.

'As part of our ongoing business management we continually monitor our operations and make adjustments. We have recently reviewed staffing in our North American region and identified areas of organizational change,” the spokesperson said in a statement. 'This is a normal part of streamlining our business to better position the (North American region) organization for the future.”

Asked to clarify how many employees would lose their jobs, the spokesperson said Whirlpool 'will not be sharing that level of detail.”

The Amana plant was founded in 1934 and manufactures refrigerators, according to a November 2016 Whirlpool profile of the plant. There are about 2,500 Whirlpool employees in the Corridor, according to a list of major employers by the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance.

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