Rustam Minnikhanov visits Haier factory in Qingdao

On May 21, during their working trip to China, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and members of Tatarstan delegation visited manufacturing facilities and head-quarters of Haier company, one of the largest manufacturers of home appliances.

To the point, Haier company is planning to launch its facilities for production of refrigerators at Kama Industrial Park “Master” in Naberezhnye Chelny.

Visiting Haier factory in Qingdao, Rustam Minnikhanov looked around the line for production of stamping molds to make different parts, including auto components, parts of home appliances and aircrafts.

Tatarstan delegation also visited “smart house” show-room at Haier headquarters. Here the guests were told about the history of the business development since its foundation in 1984 to the present day.

Then, members of the delegation met with management of Haier company. Deputy Board Chairman Liang Haishan stressed that Russia and CIS are strategic markets for Haier. “Therefore, we are very grateful to you for the opportunity to launch our production facilities in Tatarstan. This is a very important step for us. This plant will deliver products to markets of Russia, CIS and even Eastern Europe,” Liang Haishan said, addressing Rustam Minnikhanov.

Liang Haishan said that in 2013 the company's turnover made 29.5 billion US dollars, profits went up by 20 % as compared with last year and reached 1.8 billion US dollars. The company’s share in the global market of home appliances makes 9.7 per cent.

Owning five brands, Haier has established seven industrial parks and 11 factories outside China. Moreover, 11 companies produce Haier appliances under the contract. The company's products are sold in 160 countries.

Rustam Minnikhanov admitted that though he had heard a lot about the Haier, today's visit to the factory and headquarters has significantly changed his impression about the company.

"We understand that the first Haier project at KIP “Master" in Naberezhnye Chelny is a serious examination. But we should also think about future projects,” Tatarstan President said.

According to him, technological innovations offered by Haier will be in demand in Russian and CIS markets. He assured the company’s management that Tatarstan Government will provide all necessary assistance in implementation of the project.

"Our relations should not be limited to the construction of a new plant only. Taking into account a wide range of your business interests, our cooperation should be much wider. We should establish a development center as well," Rustam Minnikhanov said.

Rustam Minnikhanov also suggested organizing educational programs for Tatarstan specialists who will be working at the company. "The production of such modern appliances requires special skills and people should be trained accordingly," Tatarstan President said.

He proposed to establish of a joint working group to study possible areas of further cooperation between Haier and Tatarstan.

Tatarstan President also met with the company’s founder Zhang Ruimin and thanked him for the opportunity to visit the factory and see its modern production facilities.