Rubbermaid Expands, Brings New Jobs To Winfield

Fri, December 23, 2011

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KMUW / Carla Eckels

Newell Rubbermaid announced Thursday they will be expanding operations in Windfield that will move 200 jobs from a facility in Texas to South Central Kansas.  KMUW’s Carla Eckels reports.

Newell Rubbermaid will invest $26.6 million dollars in its Winfield plant. The company manufactures outdoor storage and outdoor living products as well as ice chests and water coolers. The expansion includes new production and a new 500,000-square-foot distribution facility in Windfield.

Spokesperson David Doolittle says the company made the decision after reviewing all of Rubbermaid’s manufacturing capacity in the US.

“And so we realized that we had more than we really needed,” says Doolittle. “And so we decided to consolidate from three factories down to two. So we’re mindful of the impact that this has on our employees in Texas and we’re providing support for them to help them make the transition, but we’re happy to be investing in Windfield where we have a long history.”

The Windfield plant dates back to 1916 when H.P. Gott founded Gott Manufacturing to produce metal water coolers. Rubbermaid acquired Gott Manufacturing in 1986. Doolittle says the company is currently recruiting workers in the Winfield area.

“Everything from fork lift driver, to material handler and people working on our production line,” says Doolittle.

Expansion projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2012.