Haier’s Milestones

  • May, 2008: Immediately following the Sichuan earthquake, Haier CEO Zhang Ruimin visits the disaster area, personally extending the condolences of the entire Haier corporate family. By June, 2008, the Haier Group has provided a total of 38 million RMB worth of materials and financial aid for the reconstruction of primary schools and homes destroyed by the earthquake.
  • December, 2007: The commission for the safety of household and similar electrical appliances of the International Electronics Commission (IEC/TC61) announces that the water heater security standard proposed by Haier would be listed as the international standard by the end of 2008. Through July 2008, Haier has participated in the drafting of nine international standards; three of those--related to washing machines and water heaters--are set to become international standards by the end of this year.
  • May 1, 2007: Haier (Thailand) purchases Sanyo's refrigerator factory in Thailand and established Haier Thailand industrial park. This is Haier's forth industrial park overseas, making Haier the second largest refrigerator manufacturer in Thailand.
  • January 1, 2007: Haier purchases a local refrigerator manufacturer in India. At present, Haier's Indian factory, which focuses mainly on refrigerators, employs over 300 workers and has an annual production of 350,000 units.
  • November 26, 2006: The Haier-Ruba Economic Zone is unveiled in Lahore, Pakistan. This is the first of the ten overseas economic and trade cooperation zones established outside China by the PRC Ministry of Commerce.
  • October 27, 2006: Haier set up the Haier Sanyo Co joint venture with Sanyo in Osaka, Japan.
  • June 22, 2006: The world's first powder detergent-free drum washing machine is launched by Haier.
  • April 10, 2006: Haier becomes a strategic partner and the first world home appliance sponsor of the National Basketball Association. By its association with one of the most popular sports leagues in the US, Haier aims to become a household brand in North America.
  • August 12, 2005: The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad announce that Haier will be a corporate sponsor for the 2008 Olympic Games, making Haier the sole white goods sponsor of the Beijing Olympics.
  • June 28, 2005: China's Ministry of Information Industry issues China's first national standard for a network home appliance, with Haier taking the lead in the institution of the new standard. Haier adopts the new standard in the development of the company's third generation network home appliances.
  • March 1, 2005: Haier (Middle East) Industrial Park opens in Jordan. This is the largest home appliance industrial park in the Middle East. The industrial park becomes Haier's operations platform for the Middle East region providing a base for Haier's products to be sold in surrounding countries including Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Palestine.
  • May, 2004: Haier's Freezer Unit passes Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000:2001) Certification, as Haier is recognized internationally for its commitment to corporate social responsibility. The occasion also marks the first such recognition of Haier by the international community. By June 2008, over 10 other units including electronics and home air conditioners will have passed SA8000:2001
  • November 28, 2002: Haier New York Life Insurance Co., Ltd is established as a joint venture between Haier and New York Life Insurance Co., Ltd. with registered capital of 581 million RMB.
  • September 11, 2002: Haier invents the world's first double-drive washing machine, the fourth type of washing machine design after the top-load, front-load, and agitator models.
  • July 27, 2002: Haier is recognized as the first company in the world to adopt the International Organization for Standardization's ISO10015 training system.
  • September 19, 2001: Haier launches Patriot I: China's very first large scale integration digital television MPEG-II decoding chip for commercial use.
  • June 19, 2001: Haier purchases a refrigerator company from Meneghetti Equipment of Italy. This is the first cross-national acquisition by a white goods company from China. With Haier's design, research and development centers in Italy, Holland, Germany and Denmark and its marketing center in Milan, Haier achieves its Three-in-One operational framework in Europe in addition to the United States.
  • April 10-12, 2001: Haier's second overseas park opens in Pakistan, selling products to India, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa.
  • April 30, 1999: Haier establishes an industrial park and the company's first overseas factory in South Carolina, USA. With a design center in Los Angeles, a marketing center in New York, and a manufacturing facility in South Carolina, Haier establishes its first international Three-in-One operational framework. In March 2000, the South Carolina facility produces the first US-made Haier refrigerator.
  • March, 1998: Haier CEO Zhang Ruimin is invited to lecture at Harvard Business School on the concept of "Activate Shocked Fish," a Haier corporate strategy of maximizing a merged company's latent or underutilized potential. Subsequently, the University of Southern California, IMD in Switzerland, INSEAD in France, and Kobe University in Japan conduct research on Haier's OEC management model, market chain management system, and individual-goal combination. Haier's market chain management system is also included in the European Union's case database.
  • 1997: Haier passes ISO14001 for environmental management becoming the first Chinese home appliance manufacturer to achieve ISO14001 certification. Subsequently, Haier passes QC08000 Hazardous Substances Process Management certification and the European Union's RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) certification.
  • September, 1997: Haier's entry into the color television industry marks the company's first foray into the brown goods market.
  • November 19, 1993: Qingdao Haier (600690) is listed on the Shanghai stock exchange.
  • September, 1992: Haier achieves ISO9001 accreditation, the first Chinese white goods manufacturer to do so and an indication of Haier's position as a world-class supplier of home appliances.
  • December 20, 1991: Haier purchases the Qingdao Freezer Factory and the Qingdao Air Conditioner Factory forming a new entity, the Haier Group, and signaling Haier's entry into the Diversification Development Phase. In July 1995, Haier purchases the Qingdao Red Star Appliance Co., Ltd. In 1998 Haier further lowers costs by merging 18 factories in China, including the Shunde Washing Machine Factory (Guangdong), Laiyang Iron Factory (Shandong), Fenghua Refrigerator Factory (Guizhou), and the Hefei Huangshan Television Factory (Anhui). By introducing Haier's management team and corporate culture into these companies, Haier is able to 'activate shocked fish,' helping these struggling firms to maximize their latent potential. Haier expands its business from a single product--refrigerators--to a firm with a diverse product line including washing machines, freezers, air conditioners, televisions, and water heaters.
  • 1990: Haier products gain UL certification for standards and safety issued by Underwriters Laboratories. They also receive cross recognition and product certification from a number of renowned accreditation agencies including Intertek Foreign Trade Standards, UL, Technischer Uberwachungs Verein in Germany, Japan Electrical Safety & Environment Technology Laboratories, Canadian Standards Association, LGA, Korean Testing Laboratories, China Quality Certification Center, Prufstelle Testing and Certification Institute in Germany, and Laboratoire Central des Industries Electriques (LCIE) in France.
  • December, 1988: Haier is awarded the National Quality Gold Medal, the first such award in China's refrigerator industry, an achievement made possible through Haier's "Branding Strategy." The award also establishes Haier as the top refrigerator manufacturer in China.
  • December 26, 1984: Zhang Ruimin is appointed as director of the Qingdao Refrigerator Factory, a collectively-owned factory at the time facing nearly 150,000 RMB in losses. In 1993, the factory is renamed "Haier," with the name coming from the German company, Liebherr International Deutschland GMBH, who permitted Haier to use its technology and allowed the use of its logo during this early stage of Haier's development.