No, Haier is not an Indian company. It is a Chinese multinational consumer electronics and home appliances company, headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong, China. Haier designs, manufactures and sells multiple types of home appliances, including air conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens and hair dryers, under different brand names like Haier, Casarte, Leader, Aqua, Candy, GE Appliances and Fisher and Paykel.
Haier’s affiliate, Haier Electronics Group, manufactures consumer electronic products like televisions, mobile phones and computers. Haier also offers gaming computers and accessories under ThundeRobot brand. The company is known for its smart home and digital transformation solutions like IoT-enabled home appliances and holds the most number of smart home patents in China.
| Details | Info |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Zhang Ruimin |
| Headquarters | Qingdao, Shandong, China |
| CEO | Zhang Ruimin |
| Sector | Consumer electronics, Home appliances |
Company History
Haier was established in the year 1984 as Qingdao Refrigerator Company. It was a state-owned company under the leadership of Zhang Ruimin. The company entered into a partnership with the German refrigerator company, Libherr Group, to manufacture high-quality refrigerators. By the year 1986, the company had become profitable and gained a reputation for reliable refrigerators.
In the year 1991, Qingdao Refrigerator Company was renamed Haier Group and it diversified into other products like washing machines, microwave ovens and air conditioners by acquiring struggling factories. Haier established manufacturing facilities in US, Europe and Southeast Asia in the year 2000. In 2009, Haier became number one globally in terms of appliance sales volume.
Haier acquired multiple companies in the 2010s, including Sanyo’s electric washing machine and refrigerator businesses in 2012, American GE Appliances in 2016 and Italian Candy Group in 2016.
Current Status
Haier is operating in more than 160 countries and has reached over 1 billion households. The company has 163 manufacturing facilities in China, North Africa, Europe, South Asia, North America and South America. In addition, it operates 35 industrial parks, 10 research and development centres and 71 research institutes.
Haier’s global retail network comprises of over 230,000 nodes. The company’s recent product launches include Haier X Series 11 washing machines equipped with Autodose and I-Refresh technologies and India’s first AI Colour Panel One-touch washing machine. Haier won four Red Dot Awards and three iF Design Awards in Europe for its kitchen appliances.
Future Outlook
Haier is expected to increase investments in R&D, with a special focus on improving its smart home appliances and consumer electronics like AI-enabled washing machines, refrigerators and mini LED-QD televisions. Moreover, the company is likely to continue its focus on premium products to boost its strength in the developed markets.