EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Whirlpool Corp. announced Monday it plans to shut down the last of its operations in a southern Indiana city, a plant that employed more than 1,500 workers a few years ago.

Whirlpool said it would close its Refrigeration Product Development Center in Evansville by the end of 2014 and consolidate the center’s work at facilities near the company’s Benton Harbor, Mich., headquarters. Whirlpool expects to spend about $18 million on renovations and equipment.