A brief introduction to Haier’s entrepreneurial history and events

Haier Group was founded in 1984. After 19 years of continuous development, it has now become a large-scale international enterprise group renowned at home and abroad. In 1984, Haier only produced a single refrigerator. Now it has product groups with more than 15,100 specifications in 96 categories, including white appliances, black appliances, and beige appliances. Haier's products are exported to more than 160 countries and regions around the world. In 2003, Haier's global turnover reached 80.6 billion yuan. In 2003, Haier ranked first as the most valuable brand in China. On January 31, 2004, the "World's 100 Most Influential Brands" report compiled by the World Brand Laboratory, one of the world's five largest brand value assessment agencies, was announced. Haier ranked 95th and was the only Chinese company selected. In December 2003, Euromonitor, a world-renowned strategic research company, announced the ranking of global white goods manufacturers in 2002. Haier jumped to the second largest white goods brand in the world with a market share of 3.79%. The Chinese version of Fortune in the August 2004 issue ranked the latest "China's Most Admired Companies", with Haier Group ranking second, following IBM China Co., Ltd.

Refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines and other products are white goods. As one of the most competitive companies in the field of white home appliances, Haier has many emotional and touching marketing stories.

In 1996, a farmer in Chengdu, Sichuan complained that the drain pipe of a Haier washing machine was always blocked. When the service personnel came to repair it, they found that the farmer was using the washing machine to wash sweet potatoes (also known as sweet potatoes in the south), and the soil Large and of course prone to clogging. The service staff did not shirk their responsibilities, but helped the customer thicken the drain pipe. The customer was grateful and complained that he had caused trouble to the Haier people. He also said that if there was a washing machine for washing sweet potatoes, there would be no need to trouble the Haier people. The words of the farmer brother were remembered by Haier people. When Haier marketing staff investigated the use of washing machines by farmers in Sichuan, they found that in the Chengdu Plain, where sweet potatoes are abundant, during the sweet potato harvest season, many farmers not only sell part of the fresh sweet potatoes, but also wash a large amount of sweet potatoes and process them into French fries. . But washing the soil on sweet potatoes was time-consuming and laborious, so farmers used washing machines. Further investigation revealed that many washing machines in rural Sichuan found that after being used for a period of time, the motor speed weakened and the motor casing became hot. After asking the farmers, I found out that they use washing machines to wash sweet potatoes in winter and clothes in summer. This gave Zhang Ruimin a bold idea: to invent a washing machine for washing sweet potatoes. In 1997, Haier initiated a project for this washing machine and established a four-person research team headed by engineer Li Chongzheng. It was put into mass production in April 1998. The washing machine model is XPB40-DS. It not only has all the functions of a general double-tub washing machine, but can also wash sweet potatoes, fruits and even clams. The price is only 848 yuan. For the first time, 10,000 units were produced and put into rural areas, and they were immediately sold out.

Generally speaking, June to August every year is the off-season for washing machine sales. During this period, many manufacturers withdraw their promoters from the mall. Zhang Ruimin wondered: Could it be that the hotter the weather is and the more people sweat, the less likely they are to wash their clothes? The investigation found that it is not that ordinary people do not wash clothes, but that a 5kg washing machine is not practical in summer and wastes both water and electricity. As a result, Haier's scientific researchers quickly designed a washing machine with a laundry capacity of only 1.5 kilograms - the Little Prodigy. After the Little Prodigy was put into production, it was first tested in Shanghai because Zhang Ruimin believed that Shanghainese people have high consumption levels and are picky. As a result, Shanghainese immediately recognized this world's smallest washing machine. After the product was sold well in Shanghai, it quickly became popular all over the country. In less than two years, Haier's little prodigy sold more than 1 million units across the country and exported them to Japan and South Korea. Zhang Ruimin warned his employees: "There are only off-season thoughts, but there is no off-season market."

In Tibet, Haier washing machines can even make butter properly. In July 2000, the "Little Prodigy" washing machine developed by Haier Group, a plateau type washing machine that can both wash clothes and make butter, was launched in the Tibetan market. It was welcomed by consumers and opened up its own unique market. It takes three hours for this kind of washing machine to make butter, which is equivalent to three days of work for a Tibetan woman. After Tibetan compatriots buy this washing machine, they can say goodbye to the heavy housework of making butter by hand.

At the first Hefei "Lobster Festival" held in 2002, Haier launched a "shrimp washing machine" that triggered a rare rush to buy. Hundreds of "shrimp washing machines" were sold. They were sold out by local consumers within one day, and many lobster shop operators paid deposits to make reservations. This Haier "shrimp washing machine" was awarded the "Market Prospect Award" by Anhui Satellite TV because of its huge market potential. May in Anhui is the season when the local specialty lobster is on the market. Lobster is a favorite delicacy of many consumers. During this season, the business of various lobster restaurants and food stalls is extremely booming. There are thousands of lobster restaurants in Hefei alone, and nearly 50,000 kilograms of lobsters are consumed every day. However, the problem of delicious lobsters and difficulty in cleaning them has always troubled local lobster shop operators. Because lobsters grow in mud bays and are covered in mud when caught, cleaning them is extremely troublesome. An average lobster shop requires 2-3 people to manually wash the lobsters a day. However, the amount of shrimps washed in one day is often less than what can be sold in a few hours. , manual cleaning is time-consuming and laborious, and also increases labor costs. In response to this potential market demand, Haier's Washing Machine Division used its own "Big Sweet Potato Washing Machine" technology to quickly launch a "shrimp washing machine" with an all-plastic integrated barrel and wide voltage design that can wash lobsters. It not only saves It saves time and effort, the washing effect is very good, and the price positioning is also reasonable, which greatly meets the needs of local consumers. In the past, it took one person 10-15 minutes to wash 2 kilograms of lobster, but now it only takes three minutes to use a "lobster machine".

“I heard that your washing machine can make ghee for herders and wash lobsters for restaurants in Hefei. It’s amazing! Can it wash buckwheat husks?” One day in 2003, a customer from a pillow factory in the north The call came to Haier headquarters. After receiving user demand, Haier Washing Machine Company innovatively launched a washing machine that can wash buckwheat pillows based on existing washing machine module technology in just 24 hours. It was highly praised by users and became the first washing machine after Haier. After the sweet potato washing machine, ghee making machine and lobster washing machine, it is another classic product that meets the personalized needs of the market. Li Shizhen, a medical scientist of the Ming Dynasty, recorded a "pillow for improving eyesight" in "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Buckwheat husk, mung bean husk...chrysanthemums are used as pillows to improve eyesight in old age." In my country, people have always regarded buckwheat husk pillow cores as pillows. It is the top quality pillow. Buckwheat husks are raw cereals that are oily and have high hardness. If they are not washed frequently or dried in the sun, they can easily breed bacteria. However, the cleaning and drying of buckwheat husks is particularly laborious because the "buckwheat husks" themselves are small in size and extremely light in weight. It is difficult to dry, and it is more likely to be blown away by the wind if it is dried outdoors. The problem of cleaning and drying "buckwheat hull" has become a major problem for "buckwheat hull" pillow manufacturers and consumers. This "Shuang Shendong" washing machine developed by Haier can be used for home laundry and buckwheat hull pillows. In addition to basic functions such as washing and dehydration, it also has unique and efficient PTC rotation drying and natural air drying. Drying technology, and specially designed buckwheat hull packaging washing bags, coupled with Haier's unique "antibacterial" technology, perfectly solve the problem of cleaning and drying buckwheat hull pillows.

Experts pointed out that the current washing machine market has entered a period of upgrading and rapid demand growth. Haier, which has always led the market through technological innovation, has taken the lead in the quick-start washing machine market through years of accumulation of technical reserves and market advantages. The world's fourth washing machine - Haier "Dual Power" is a brand-new washing machine innovatively launched by Haier based on user needs and to solve users' complaints about pulsator, drum and agitator washing machines. , low wear, no tangles, can wash large clothes in 15 minutes, "save water and half time" and other advantages, it caters to people's new laundry needs. Within one month of its launch, the product has created the highest sales and retail sales of domestic high-end washing machines. The extraordinary performance of No. 1 has made it the fastest-growing new washing machine product in the domestic market. It won the only invention gold medal in the world's home appliance industry at the 95th French Repin International Invention Exhibition that just concluded a few days ago.

Sino Market Research Company’s April 2004 statistics show that Haier’s washing machine market share continues to rank first in the country, especially in the six major regional markets of North China, Northeast China, East China, Northwest China, Central South China, and Southwest China. It firmly ranks first and the distance between it and its competitors is further widened. In the northwest region, Haier's washing machine market share is close to 40%, nearly three times more than the second place. In the other five major regions, Haier's market share of washing machines has also increased significantly, nearly twice as much as the second place.