Appliance giant Haier Europe outlined its recent successes and latest plans at its 1 Vision conference in Liverpool earlier this month, including its move into SDA.
Alert was there to report on the latest news from the company.
Haier Europe’s UK and Ireland CEO, David Meyerowitz, opened the event, which was themed around the concept of ‘dream, believe, achieve.’
Speaking at the conference he told delegates: “Haier is the enabler of dreams. We are the world’s favourite domestic appliance manufacturer.”
He stated that the company’s growth has been phenomenal.
It now has 170 factories, selling to 160 countries, with one billion customers, 100,000 employees, 4,000 micro-enterprises and 140,000 retail partners. “We dream big with confidence,” he said.
He added that the company is now the number one in washers and washer dryers, with fast growth also occurring in the cooling market.
“By 2025, 100 percent of our sales will be connected appliances,” he said, and “they will focus on the “ultimate user experience.”
Yannick Fierling, CEO of Haier Europe, stated that the company now has a market share of 17 percent worldwide, with a worldwide turnover of €32 billion.
“Every one in five fridges, wine coolers, washers, dryers are a Haier product. And despite the challenges we have faced recently, with Covid and supply chain issues, we have doubled our turnover making us the fastest-growing smart home appliance company,” he said.
Mr Fierling added that “selling a product was not enough. You must go from product to experience. We have built experiences for our consumers by building scenarios to see what works best for them.”
Sustainability is a key focus for the company. “We want to extend the life of appliances and we will do this by adding new versions of software through our app. Energy efficiency is important for us and being able to tell the customer when the cheapest time is to run an appliance efficiently, is important,” said Mr Fierling.
Haier Europe also announced a new initiative with Octopus Energy – being able to offer consumers the lowest cost per wash cycle at just 5p.
Leon Doyle, head of IoT ecosystems at Haier Europe, said: “If you already have the Intelligent Octopus tariff you only need to download the latest wash cycles from the hOn app and schedule your wash during the off-peak window. If you have not got it, then give them a call to see if the switch is right for you.”
He outlined that through the extensive analysis of data-driven insights it has become evident that existing customers were actively reducing temperatures and shortening their laundry cycles in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
He said, “Our zero distance to the consumer has shown us that, sadly, more and more consumers are extending days between washing, lowering their temperature and shortening their cycle all in the quest of reigning in their electricity bill.”
The conference heard from many members of the senior management team around achievements that the business has surpassed and its goals for future growth.
Andy Lane, ME leader for service and ecosystems for the UK and Ireland, said that “entrepreneurship, the zero distance to the consumer strategy and ecosystem thinking are three main pillars.”
Antony Peart, director of brand and communications for the UK & Ireland, said that “cultivating a brand is the key to success and the business has three distinct brands Candy, Hoover and Haier that it cultivates and resonates with its consumers.”
Angela Wallace, head of customer service operations, stated that over the past two years, the company has placed huge emphasis on its customer service.
“Now a customer can book, cancel, or amend an appointment with us 24/7. We have brought in industry-leading technology that focuses on optimisation and flexibility. Right first time is at the centre of what we do to make our customer service operations the absolute best,” she said.
In a new move for the Haier brand, Dave Matthews, ME leader SDA, announced Haier’s entry into the small kitchen appliance market sector.
Later this year, Haier will launch its Series 5 range of small kitchen appliances. In 2024, it will follow up and unveil its Series 7 range.
Mr Matthews added: “We launched two new vacuums last year and we are so proud of them. One, the HL5 is an award-winning vacuum. This year, we are following on with two exciting new vacuums, one of which has not been seen on the market and is revolutionary in its style and capabilities.”
Both new vacuums will be launched later this year.
Closing the conference, Mr Meyerowitz paid tribute to all those who attended the conference including suppliers, trade partners and the media.
He also thanked those who have supported the company to get it to where it is today, and paid a special tribute to the staff.
“All of you are the drivers of our future. We thank you for your support. We want to be the first customer of choice for the smart home, and we are well on our way to achieving this goal,” he said.
See the full report in the autumn issue of Alert.
Alert was there to report on the latest news from the company.
Haier Europe’s UK and Ireland CEO, David Meyerowitz, opened the event, which was themed around the concept of ‘dream, believe, achieve.’
Speaking at the conference he told delegates: “Haier is the enabler of dreams. We are the world’s favourite domestic appliance manufacturer.” He stated that the company’s growth has been phenomenal.
It now has 170 factories, selling to 160 countries, with one billion customers, 100,000 employees, 4,000 micro-enterprises and 140,000 retail partners. “We dream big with confidence,” he said.
He added that the company is now the number one in washers and washer dryers, with fast growth also occurring in the cooling market.
“By 2025, 100 percent of our sales will be connected appliances,” he said, and “they will focus on the “ultimate user experience.”
Yannick Fierling, CEO of Haier Europe, stated that the company now has a market share of 17 percent worldwide, with a worldwide turnover of €32 billion.
“Every one in five fridges, wine coolers, washers, dryers are a Haier product. And despite the challenges we have faced recently, with Covid and supply chain issues, we have doubled our turnover making us the fastest-growing smart home appliance company,” he said.
Mr Fierling added that “selling a product was not enough. You must go from product to experience. We have built experiences for our consumers by building scenarios to see what works best for them.”
Sustainability is a key focus for the company. “We want to extend the life of appliances and we will do this by adding new versions of software through our app. Energy efficiency is important for us and being able to tell the customer when the cheapest time is to run an appliance efficiently, is important,” said Mr Fierling.
Haier Europe also announced a new initiative with Octopus Energy – being able to offer consumers the lowest cost per wash cycle at just 5p.
Leon Doyle, head of IoT ecosystems at Haier Europe, said: “If you already have the Intelligent Octopus tariff you only need to download the latest wash cycles from the hOn app and schedule your wash during the off-peak window. If you have not got it, then give them a call to see if the switch is right for you.”
He outlined that through the extensive analysis of data-driven insights it has become evident that existing customers were actively reducing temperatures and shortening their laundry cycles in response to the cost-of-living crisis. He said, “Our zero distance to the consumer has shown us that, sadly, more and more consumers are extending days between washing, lowering their temperature and shortening their cycle all in the quest of reigning in their electricity bill.”
The conference heard from many members of the senior management team around achievements that the business has surpassed and its goals for future growth.
Andy Lane, ME leader for service and ecosystems for the UK and Ireland, said that “entrepreneurship, the zero distance to the consumer strategy and ecosystem thinking are three main pillars.”
Antony Peart, director of brand and communications for the UK & Ireland, said that “cultivating a brand is the key to success and the business has three distinct brands Candy, Hoover and Haier that it cultivates and resonates with its consumers.”
Angela Wallace, head of customer service operations, stated that over the past two years, the company has placed huge emphasis on its customer service.
“Now a customer can book, cancel, or amend an appointment with us 24/7. We have brought in industry-leading technology that focuses on optimisation and flexibility. Right first time is at the centre of what we do to make our customer service operations the absolute best,” she said.
In a new move for the Haier brand, Dave Matthews, ME leader SDA, announced Haier’s entry into the small kitchen appliance market sector.
Later this year, Haier will launch its Series 5 range of small kitchen appliances. In 2024, it will follow up and unveil its Series 7 range.
Mr Matthews added: “We launched two new vacuums last year and we are so proud of them. One, the HL5 is an award-winning vacuum. This year, we are following on with two exciting new vacuums, one of which has not been seen on the market and is revolutionary in its style and capabilities.”
Both new vacuums will be launched later this year.
Closing the conference, Mr Meyerowitz paid tribute to all those who attended the conference including suppliers, trade partners and the media.
He also thanked those who have supported the company to get it to where it is today, and paid a special tribute to the staff.
“All of you are the drivers of our future. We thank you for your support. We want to be the first customer of choice for the smart home, and we are well on our way to achieving this goal,” he said.
See the full report in the autumn issue of Alert.
