OREANDA-NEWS. As part of a $250 million investment GE Appliances is making in the three-year period ending in 2016 at its Appliance Park manufacturing location in Louisville, Kentucky, the company is adding a new product category to the current lineup of refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, clothes dryers and hybrid water heaters manufactured there. GE Zoneline®, a through-the-wall heating and air conditioning unit, mainly used in the hotel/motel industry, will start full production in the first quarter of 2016.

GE Zoneline PTAC models were made at Appliance Park from 1961 until 1987 when manufacture of the product was outsourced overseas. The new Zoneline units will be manufactured at Appliance Park in the same building as the GeoSpring™ hybrid water heaters, becoming the second new product platform brought to Appliance Park in nearly 50 years. The first was GeoSpring, introduced in 2012 as part of a $1 billion investment GE made in its U.S. appliance manufacturing facilities. 

Of the $250 million being invested in Appliance Park, $40 million has been used to build the new Zoneline production line. One hundred operators will man the line, 75 of whom will occupy new jobs. 

“The existing Zoneline products have served our customers well, but as the hotel/motel industry becomes increasingly more competitive, customers are looking for every advantage to ensure their guests have the best experience possible,” said Liz VerSchure, product general manager for consumer comfort. “We have taken the most important aspects of heating and cooling the traveler’s room into account with our new design, so both the guests and our customers can rest easy at night. Plus, with new design and appearance improvements, it looks great.”

The new Zoneline is engineered to be more reliable, quiet, energy efficient, and easier to install and maintain, all features that are critical to hotel/motel customers. Hospitality industry data shows that when guests are not pleased with the noise or temperature of their room, two-thirds are not very likely to return to the hotel and one-third are not very likely to recommend a hotel.?

About the new GE Zoneline:

  • The number one priority for hotel owners when it comes to PTACs is having a reliable, dependable unit. If the unit isn’t working, the room cannot be sold, which means a loss of revenue for hotel owners. GE has millions of installed Zoneline units with an excellent service record. The new design will build and improve on that legacy.
  • GE Zoneline is the quietest PTAC compared to leading competitors, has the best noise insulation and lowest dBA, as verified by an independent, nationally accredited certified acoustics lab.?
  • GE’s Zoneline units are on average eight percent more energy efficient than leading competitor units. For a 100-room property, this can save a hotel owner thousands of dollars annually on their utility bill.

GE Appliances
GE Appliances is at the forefront of building innovative, energy-efficient appliances that improve people’s lives. GE Appliances’ products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, water filtration systems and water heaters. General Electric (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter to build a world that works better.

1 Clarabridge Ratings and Reviews for hospitality data collected July 2013-June 2014.
2 Independent Third Party Testing at nationally accredited certified acoustical lab, conducted March 2015 in accordance with ASTM and AHRI standards.