Reuters is reporting that home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool will close a Michigan parts plant and eliminate 216 jobs.  Though Whirlpool has its base of operations in Michigan, it will close its Benton Harbor plant there because the parts will now be built at its Clyde, Ohio facility. Whirlpool’s newest line of energy efficient appliances is manufactured at the Clyde plant.  These newer models require fewer parts, the company says, and the move to close the Michigan plant is based on creating efficiencies in its overall operations.

Whirlpool currently employs over 67,000 worldwide.  Thirty percent of its work force is domestic.  It posted a profit in the last quarter although the recession has eaten into its U.S. sales.