Two years following the signing of a contract to establish a production centre in Tatarstan Republic, Russia, Chinese appliance manufacturer Haier opened the doors of its new 24,500m2 factory, “Master,” in Kama Industrial Park (KIP), Naberezhnye Chelny.
This represents the first joint Russian-Chinese business project in the non-primary industry, Haier says. Dedicated to the production of refrigeration machinery, this is Haier’s first step of localising in Russia as an additional asset to pursue its growth plans throughout Europe. During the ceremony, Haier Russia general manager Sun Zhenhua and Haier Europe chief executive Yannick Fierling also announced the creation of an R&D centre in the Naberzhnye Chelny region.
Haier Russia general manager Sun Zhenhua commented: “We chose the location of the new factory for a specific reason. The proactive attitude of the local government, the transparency of the Tatar business industry and the lucrative investment outlook are some key appealing factors for Chinese investors. Secondly, the Tatarstan Republic is one of the leading regions in the country in terms of economic development with a solid production cluster; the Kama Industrial Park being a prime example.”
In 2008, Haier opened its official representative office in Russia. At the time, its range of products included two categories of major appliances: refrigerators and washing machines. Today, Haier produces more than 100 different models, including refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, home and industrial air conditioners, TV sets, water heaters, electric stoves, gas boilers, smartphones and tablets.
Haier Europe chief executive Yannick Fierling said: “The opening of this factory represents a key milestone for Haier Group. With this new site, Haier is well positioned to respond to major projects planned in this region and around the globe.
“Haier has already taken up the creation of the R&D centre at Naberezhnye Chelny, in addition to the one based in Nuremberg, Germany – an attestation of our determination to be truly local consumer-focused, responding to growing demands for premium-quality and life-long products,” he continued.
“This new factory should also allow us to improve productivity and be more proactive towards the European market while meeting shorter deadlines of distribution. Even though our production facility in China could meet most of the European market needs, we still want to be competitive in terms of logistics flexibility, in order to reinforce Haier’s position in a market dominated by other established household electrical appliance manufacturers. For us, the key to successful globalisation is successful localisation and getting closer to target markets and end users.”
