Haier appliances feature the latest technology and styles and have a reputation for durability.Ranked China' s No. 1 consumer-electronics maker,Haier accounts for nearly 40% of the country' s refrigerator sales and a third of its washing-machine and air-conditioner sales. And it hopes to become an export powerhouse—"a famous global brand like Japan's Matsushita," President Zhang Ruimin says. It already sells washing machines to Japan,air conditioners to France and refrigerators to the US.
Haier's success is helping the Chinese government pursue its goal of steering the economy away from labor-intensive industries such as textiles and toys and encouraging home-grown electronics and technology companies to compete with Japan,South Korea and other Asian nations as a global source of high-tech products.
As the No.l consumer-electronics maker in China,Haier accounts for over 30% 0f the country's washing-machine and air-conditioner sales.( )