Haier to raise appliance output by 20% next year

Yang Xiaolin, president of the trading and producer of the Chinese household-appliance brand, said yesterday that domestic demand for Haier in the second half would continue to grow, bucking the overall trend that is expected to slow.
Haier expects its sales to increase by 16 per cent for the whole year.
Overseas, there are new emerging markets in the Middle East.
Currently, its refrigerator-manufacturing capacity is 1 million units per year and production is 800,000 units, air-conditioner capacity is 300,000 per year and production is 170,000 units, washing-machine plants are running at full capacity of 150,000 units, and freezer capacity is 50,000 units per year and production is 35,000 units.
In Thailand, Haier has appointed more than 300 dealers. It ships to South America, Australia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
About 60 per cent of its output is sent overseas and 40 per cent serves the domestic market, gaining lower than 3-per-cent market share in home-appliance products, after Japanese and Korean brands.
Last year, the group’s worldwide transactions increased by 184 per cent.
After acquiring a refrigerator factory form Sanyo in 2007, Haier has expanded production lines.
It is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for many brands for the domestic market. It makes refrigerators, washing machines and freezers for Singer, refrigerators for Mirage and small refrigerators and air-conditioners for Electrolux.
It has also established its own research and development unit here.
“We have entered into Thailand to expand our business here. We will launch new products every year,” Yang said.
The company employs about 200 foreign workers or 20 per cent of its workforce. Most of them are from Laos or Cambodia.