GE Appliances has earned largely positive headlines in recent years for its reshoring strategy. The company has invested heavily in renovating and expanding domestic manufacturing facilities while also working to rebuild partnerships with U.S.-based suppliers. Those efforts were already underway when Trump Administration tariffs took effect; while tariffs didn’t change GE Appliances’s direction, they did accelerate the pace of investment.

In the middle of this reshoring momentum, however, GE Appliances found itself under scrutiny. Whirlpool, a competitor in the home appliance space, raised concerns about how GE Appliances—and two other manufacturers—were managing the cost of tariffs. Whirlpool alleged that GE Appliances was underreporting the value of certain imported appliances, thereby reducing customs duties owed without passing savings on to consumers.

The Allegations

Whirlpool’s claims were based on publicly available customs data and its understanding of competitor manufacturing footprints. According to Whirlpool, starting in June there were sharp drops—ranging from 50 to 90 percent—in declared per-unit import values for certain appliances, including garbage disposals from China, gas ranges from Thailand, and front-load washers from South Korea.

As reported by the New York Post, consumer prices for those appliances did not fall alongside the reported import values. If accurate, such discrepancies would suggest customs violations and pose serious reputational risk for a legacy American manufacturer. Although Whirlpool did not file a formal complaint, it shared its analysis with federal officials, triggering further review.

Customs brokers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection ultimately concluded that the anomalies were more likely the result of data-entry errors than fraud. After steel tariffs took effect, changes in reporting processes led some brokers and importers to unintentionally overstate quantities, which in turn made per-unit values appear artificially low. Some data has since been revised, though Whirlpool maintains that sharp valuation drops remain.

GE Appliances’s Response

GE Appliances responded forcefully, emphasizing its commitment to customs compliance and disputing Whirlpool’s analysis. The company noted that Whirlpool accused it of importing a type of dryer it does not produce, calling the underlying data into question.

“We value competition and believe it is good for U.S. consumers,” GE Appliances said in one statement, “but this attack from Whirlpool looks like frustration over their own lagging performance.” In another, the company criticized Whirlpool for misusing customs data and attempting to “weaponize it for competitive advantage.”

Spotlight or Searchlight?

GE Appliances’s reshoring efforts remain significant. The company has invested billions in U.S. plants, strengthened domestic supplier ecosystems, partnered with universities, and leaned into automation to boost productivity. At the same time, Whirlpool’s allegations underscore an uncomfortable reality: bold strategic moves invite scrutiny.

Reshoring does not insulate companies from the pressures of global trade policy, enforcement risk, or competitive tactics. Whether this episode proves to be a distraction or a defining test, GE Appliances’s experience highlights how visibility cuts both ways. For procurement and supply chain leaders, it is a reminder that rebuilding domestic manufacturing at scale requires not just investment and vision, but resilience under the spotlight.

By Kelly Barner

Keywords: Procurement, Supply Chain

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