Camden Haier factory, USA.
Camden, South Carolina was originally a small town, but in recent years, its name has frequently appeared in various media. Now whenever Camden is mentioned, many Americans will think of Haier. Almost eight years ago, Haier American refrigerator factory broke ground here. After years of development, Haier has taken root in the United States. Mr Nelson Lindsay, director of the local economic development office, told reporters that some people in the United States think that the development of China has cost jobs in the United States, but Haier is the opposite example. "If more China enterprises invest in the United States like Haier, this view will change."
Haier is quite famous in the local area.
Camden is an ancient town located dozens of miles north of Columbia, the capital of South Carolina. Haier chose to settle here because the local government set up an industrial park to create jobs and develop the economy, and provided preferential policies such as tax reduction and employee training for the enterprises that settled in. The industrial park is adjacent to the expressway, with cheap land, convenient transportation and superior conditions. At that time, Haier was carrying out the "internationalization strategy" of going abroad. On the recommendation of an American investment company, after a visit, the two sides quickly reached an agreement. Haier became the first foreign-funded enterprise to enter the industrial park.
The reporter got off the highway to Camden and went to a gas station to ask about the location of Haier factory. The local people immediately pointed out the direction for us, which shows that Haier has become quite famous in the local area. The industrial park is an undeveloped countryside, dotted with trees and grasslands, with a beautiful environment. At a crossroads on Park Avenue, a huge and eye-catching signboard of Haier Company stands. Turn in and you will find the factory of Haier company. From the appearance, Haier factory is no different from the factories of many big American companies. The tall light blue factory building extends outward 100 meters, and there is a parking lot for a large number of employees next to the factory building. In front of the factory, the national flags of China and the United States fluttered side by side. Entering the factory, various products produced by the factory are displayed in the lobby, and the development process of the factory in recent years is displayed in kind.
We visited the production workshop first, and saw that the raw materials of thin steel plate came in from one end of the machine, punched into the refrigerator shell, then filled the insulation layer, assembled the compressor, and finally inspected, packaged and stored the finished product, forming a modern production line, and robots were used in some processes. The reporter noticed that the workers in the workshop are all local Americans, many of whom are black. Haier employees told reporters that Haier's factory has been completely localized, and all general managers and ordinary workers are employed locally. None of the employees are from China and China, all of whom come to the factory for short-term work because of their work. Manufacturing equipment and raw materials are also purchased from the United States and other parts of the world according to cost and demand. Equipment from China, Italy, Japan and Germany, steel plates from China and the United States, compressors from China and Brazil, and plastics from the United States. In this respect, Haier factory has been globalized.
Working in Haier, the first thing I feel is trust and sincerity.
Mr. David Parks, who is in charge of the South Cahill factory, used to be the general manager of an air-conditioning factory in Texas and has worked in Haier for three years. When the reporter asked him why he came to Haier, his answer seemed to be a natural choice: "Because they are all colleagues who manufacture household appliances, I knew as soon as Haier set up a factory. The American media also made a lot of reports on Haier, so when Haier invited me to work in South Carolina, I thought for 30 seconds and thought it was a good idea, so I quickly agreed. "
According to Parks, his management team has more than 30 people, plus about 300 workers in the whole factory, which can produce more than 200,000 refrigerators and freezers every year, mainly sold to the United States and other parts of the world. At present, Haier's products have entered the most important home appliance retail chain stores and department stores in the United States, such as Best Buy, Sears, Wal-Mart, Target and Home City. And the sales outlets in the United States have exceeded 6.5438+0 million.
Some large chain stores in America are very picky about their products. For example, Sears only sells energy-saving products, and it is not easy to break into these stores. To this end, Haier factory not only engages in production, but also engages in new product research and development. The laboratory of this factory has close cooperation with the University of Maryland and the research institute of Qingdao Haier Headquarters. Any new product should be tested in these three places respectively, and it can only be finalized after passing. At present, they are preparing to launch a three-door refrigerator with large capacity and variable functions at the beginning of this year, which can turn the refrigerated drawers of vegetables and fruits into freezers at any time as needed. This new refrigerator is also a rare high-end product in the United States. In order to launch this new product, Haier specially sent a team from China, led by Xin Peixing, the director of special refrigerator business department, to build a new production line with the employees of South KaHaier factory. Parks told reporters that this new product has applied for more than ten patents in the United States alone, which shows that not only the output of South Cahill factory is increasing year by year, but also the variety and grade are increasing. He said that Haier's products sold in the United States fully meet the quality requirements of the United States, especially in terms of environmental protection and energy conservation. At present, the scale of the South KaHaier factory is still in the initial stage of development. Haier Group has purchased more than 65,438+000 acres of land in the industrial park, and the factory will be expanded to produce washing machines and other products. The prospects are considerable.