Whirlpool Plans $55 Million Tulsa Expansion

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

No.  What I am saying is that Whirlpool jobs aren't all that great.  They are paid equivalent to what burger flippers should be getting.  And were paid back when the minimum wage peaked in 1968.

They are good jobs and they are needed. Any expansion to this place is good news and shows the initial investment might've been worth it (That area has become sort of a manufacturing hub too). Many of the positions require little to no experience and are a solid salary for this part of the country, especially if you live in a smaller town near there where you can buy a house for around $100k or land and a trailer for around half that.

And it's true we don't know the exact range except what we heard from those we know in the past working there. It could easily be higher end jobs being added with the expansion. Realistically the hourly wage for the line jobs could be more than that, especially for those with experience.

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

No.  What I am saying is that Whirlpool jobs aren't all that great.  They are paid equivalent to what burger flippers should be getting.  And were paid back when the minimum wage peaked in 1968.

I just searched for Whirlpool jobs in Tulsa and these are active listings:

Weekend Shift Electrical Mechanical Support Technician   OK, US, 74117   Oct 20, 2018   
Project Engineer   Tulsa, OK, US, 74117   Oct 17, 2018   
Facilities Weekend Support Technician   Tulsa, OK, US, 74117   Oct 19, 2018   
Tool and Die Manager   Tulsa, OK, US, 74120   Oct 25, 2018   
Sr. Fabrication Process Engineer   Tulsa, OK, US, 74117   Oct 25, 2018   
Materials Industrial Engineer   Tulsa, OK, US, 74117   Oct 13, 2018   
Supplier Quality Engineer   Tulsa, OK, US, 74117   Nov 1, 2018   
Lead Quality Engineer   Tulsa, OK, US, 74117   Oct 16, 2018   
Senior Manager, Engineering New Product Introduction   Tulsa, OK, US, 74117   Sep 24, 2018

https://jobs.whirlpool.com/key/tulsa-ok.html

6 of those are engineering positions and the others sound like a bit higher pay grade than a typical line assembly job. (Engineering positions at Whirlpool reported to be around $75k-$100k)

[swake]

I just searched for Whirlpool jobs in Tulsa and these are active listings:
https://jobs.whirlpool.com/key/tulsa-ok.html

6 of those are engineering positions and the others sound like a bit higher pay grade than a typical line assembly job. (Engineering positions at Whirlpool reported to be around $75k-$100k)

My guess would be that most of the new jobs will be the higher paid positions because most of the low paying jobs will be replaced with automation in any new factory operation. That's why only 150 jobs are being added with a $55 million expansion.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Seriously, some people on here are actually complaining about a company announcing a $55 million expansion and hiring more employees all at no cost to the city?  $15 an hour keeps getting bandied about without any citation to a source, but if these are manufacturing jobs that figure seems extremely low and unlikely.

From indeed.com.  And Glassdoor is similar.  May not be to the penny, but generally are very close given personal experience at other companies that have similar makeups.  Their Engineering jobs are not paying very good at all.  That can either be because they are just taking what they can get or have been actively purging older, more experienced for young ones.  Probably some of each...

https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Whirlpool-Corporation/salaries


And you are welcome!   To all of those too lazy to look into it for themselves...

[heironymouspasparagus]

My guess would be that most of the new jobs will be the higher paid positions because most of the low paying jobs will be replaced with automation in any new factory operation. That's why only 150 jobs are being added with a $55 million expansion.

Just went through a $60 million and a $50 million expansion - one engineering, one production - and it added about 250 jobs; about 75 Engineering/Technical, the rest production.  And the company also pays production line people very close numbers to what I have quoted and linked to.  They do pay Engineers/Technical a little bit better than those numbers.



AAON here in town just spent a ton of money on a big expansion - over $100 million, according to reports I have seen - would like to hear from anyone there who may have some insights about this type of thing with them.   And why don't we have a thread about that expansion??   Proportionally to company size, that is a MUCH bigger expenditure than Whirlpool will ever make here.

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

Just went through a $60 million and a $50 million expansion - one engineering, one production - and it added about 250 jobs; about 75 Engineering/Technical, the rest production.  And the company also pays production line people very close numbers to what I have quoted and linked to.  They do pay Engineers/Technical a little bit better than those numbers.



AAON here in town just spent a ton of money on a big expansion - over $100 million, according to reports I have seen - would like to hear from anyone there who may have some insights about this type of thing with them.   And why don't we have a thread about that expansion??   Proportionally to company size, that is a MUCH bigger expenditure than Whirlpool will ever make here.

Here you go:
https://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/aaon-begins-big-expansion/article_44500d88-6285-5dbe-92df-bacebc265745.html

It says $55 million on initial investment in 150,000 ft2 facility but "the rest of the expansion is so multifaceted that Aaon President and CEO Norman Asbjornson cannot put a dollar figure on it yet."


And you are welcome!   To all of those too lazy to look into it for themselves...

[heironymouspasparagus]

Here you go:
https://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/aaon-begins-big-expansion/article_44500d88-6285-5dbe-92df-bacebc265745.html

It says $55 million on initial investment in 150,000 ft2 facility but "the rest of the expansion is so multifaceted that Aaon President and CEO Norman Asbjornson cannot put a dollar figure on it yet."


And you are welcome!   To all of those too lazy to look into it for themselves...

Good for you!   Except that is the 10 year old one.  I am talking about the 2017 expansion....it was over $100 million total...about $25 million for the box the R&D goes in and another approx $50 million they spent on R&D.  As near as I can tell, the remaining $25+ million is "squishy" money that has overall effects to the company, but probably is not direct R&D related stuff - may be test facilities and equipment in support of manufacturing...??  Still an investment in expanding the company.

They do make kind of a sweeping statement;  "A company release said it will be 'only lab in the world able to measure the supply, return and ambient sound under actual load conditions.'... "   I know of at least 3 others that do the same thing, but it is a big deal for all of them!  And something they should be doing.  (Ever sit in a restaurant or walk through Walmart and hear the sound of the fans going - like  a jet engine test stand..?)

https://www.tulsaworld.com/business/manufacturing/aaon-breaks-ground-on-research-and-development-lab-in-west/article_670f709f-8332-5cc1-8646-c1e71ab47344.html



And in other HVAC world stuff - Goodman (Daikin) in Houston area spent $450 million on an entire new manufacturing and engineering facility last year.  Lots of commotion in HVAC world.  And Trump did NOT save any jobs at all in Carrier - they are gone now from Indiana to Mexico, except for some token production and their Engineering.

[Laramie]

Tulsa's development and progress looks very bright; companies have Oklahoma on their radar.  TulsaNow is a good place to learn about all of the excitement plans in store for our state.

[TheArtist]

Tulsa's development and progress looks very bright; companies have Oklahoma on their radar.  TulsaNow is a good place to learn about all of the excitement plans in store for our state.

I wonder about our population and income growth.   The national economy has been roaring along but I don't see comparable growth happening here.  Not really much in the way of "cranes in the air" or much housing/population infill.  The Gathering Place doesn't really count, wonderful for us as a promotion point, but it was a donation. There are a smattering of average projects currently underway downtown/mid-town.  Some potential decent projects in the pipeline (will keep our fingers crossed that they happen but as time goes by we are getting closer to the next recession and that stuff being halted).  Even much of the development we do see I wonder how our past tepid population growth has changed now.  Are we in negative territory with population decline... in an economic boom period? What happens when things go bad if these are the good times? Or have things turned the corner and we are seeing more robust population growth? (thing is again, I don't see much in the way of new housing that would reflect any decent population growth).

[Rattle Trap]

Are we in negative territory with population decline... in an economic boom period? What happens when things go bad if these are the good times? Or have things turned the corner and we are seeing more robust population growth? (thing is again, I don't see much in the way of new housing that would reflect any decent population growth).

I tend to have the same concerns. However, while I can't really speak for Tulsa or other surrounding suburbs, my wife and I are in the process of building a house in Owasso. In going through the process of selecting a builder and looking at homes, I can tell you in this town of approx. 35k+ people there are no less than a dozen new and sizable housing developments being built ranging from $250k houses to $1m+.

Additionally, certain industries are quietly expanding in the metro and the region. Manufacturing is growing quite a lot and I've been hearing rumors from people in the know (who can't provide specifics at this time) that at least one or two companies are eye balling the industrial park where Amazon's fulfillment center is as a location for a large expansion.

Also, the Mid America industrial in Pryor has rumors coming down the pipe as well that I can't say are anything more than rumors at this point, but there's a reason they're building a huge mixed use development out there in the middle of the park.

Outside of that, Tulsa and Oklahoma's growth has always been steady and mostly protected from booms and busts. Small businesses are having success here and at the end of the day that's where the majority of employment comes from in the country.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Also, the Mid America industrial in Pryor has rumors coming down the pipe as well that I can't say are anything more than rumors at this point, but there's a reason they're building a huge mixed use development out there in the middle of the park.

Google is in process of expanding their place at Mid America...no idea of the schedule, but they are at least part way along - talking to HVAC people for many months now.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Google is in process of expanding their place at Mid America...no idea of the schedule, but they are at least part way along - talking to HVAC people for many months now.

And they will help out with the wind turbine industry as well since they will probably need another 60 turbines for the expansion on top of the 60 they already use.

https://www.newsweek.com/google-will-be-powered-only-wind-and-solar-citing-massive-savings-728745

[Red Arrow]

And they will help out with the wind turbine industry as well since they will probably need another 60 turbines migratory bird killers for the expansion on top of the 60 they already use.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Or if you have 25 sq/miles (5mix5mi) of unused land you can build a nice solar complex like this. Might be enough for Tulsa metro area.

https://goo.gl/maps/qWwSUFjVD572

At least it just incinerates them instantly instead of clubbing them with a prop blade.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-solar-bird-deaths-20160831-snap-story.html

[SXSW]

Even much of the development we do see I wonder how our past tepid population growth has changed now.  Are we in negative territory with population decline... in an economic boom period? What happens when things go bad if these are the good times? Or have things turned the corner and we are seeing more robust population growth? (thing is again, I don't see much in the way of new housing that would reflect any decent population growth).

I would guess that any declines have reversed and the overall economy is much better than it was 1-2 years ago.  Energy, aerospace and manufacturing are doing well and adding jobs.  I think the recent quality of life improvements (Gathering Place, downtown/Rt 66 revitalization, brewery scene, new restaurants) will bring about even more growth.