Whirlpool says it will close 2 plants

Appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. said Thursday it will close two plants as it streamlines manufacturing.

The Benton Harbor, Mich.-based company said it will close its plant in Oxford, Miss., which makes built-in ovens and cook-tops, and transfer units produced to Cleveland, Tenn. About 750 jobs will be lost at the Oxford plant and the company will add 500 jobs to the Tennessee facility.

It will close its plant in Puebla, Mexico, which employs 235 and makes semiautomatic washers, and shift production to Celaya, Mexico, creating 140 jobs there, the company said.

Whirlpool has 73,000 employees and 72 manufacturing and technology research centers.

Whirlpool shares fell $1.23, or 2 percent, to $61.82 in afternoon trading.