The major appliance manufacturer Whirlpool is planning to lay off 730 employees in Arkansas and relocate to Mexico. The production of refrigerators at the Fort Smith plant will be moved to a new plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. According to Whirlpool Corp the construction of new Mexican plant will create 1000 job opportunities by producing refrigerator and freezer products. Construction of the plant is complete and is expected to start production next year. The plant will produce side-by-side fridge-freezers. The Forth Smith plant will continue to produce counter-depth refrigerator, trash compactors and icemaker components. The plant employs about 4600 workers. The company invested US$250 million to improve its North American manufacturing this year. This includes investments in the Clyde plant in Ohio as well as the Mexican plant in Monterrey. (Dec. 14)