Haier and Fagor to open factory in Poland through joint venture

Industry

Haier and Fagor have announced a cooperation agreement to establish a joint venture company, with the aim of setting an industry benchmark. The joint venture, to be held at 51% by Haier and 49% by Fagor, will oversee the construction, use and development of a new refrigerator production factory in Wroclaw, Poland. Company leaders from Haier and Fagor announced the decision today at a press conference held at the IFA trade fair in Berlin, Germany.

Sep 17, 2013

Annual production capacity at the new site, located at the Fagor Group Polish Industrial Park will be 500,000 units, rising to 1 million units within five years. With an initial co-investment of 56 million euros (€), this agreement will enable Haier, the world’s number one Major Appliances brand*, to considerably strengthen its position in Europe, where it aims to be among the top 5 brands in free-standing goods by 2016. It is also part of the growth plan that the Spanish company Fagor has established for 2013-2016.

The strategically located factory in Poland, Europe’s largest producer of household appliances, will be a new pillar supporting Haier’s “Three-in-One” operational structure. It will enable Haier to bring its research and development, production and marketing closer to its sales territory, through a dedicated R&D centre in Nuremberg, Germany, manufacturing facilities in Poland and Italy, and marketing teams based in the European headquarters in Paris and local branches.

Both Haier and Fagor will benefit from the synergy created by this joint venture, a first of its kind in this sector. R&D and manufacturing teams will combine expertise to develop products at the forefront of their domain, while maximising economies of scale thanks to the mutualisation of production volumes and purchasing of components and raw materials.

René Aubertin, CEO of Haier Europe, said: “This long-term partnership demonstrates Haier’s strong ambitions in Europe. Fagor is a key player in the white goods industry and a leader in industrial expertise. We are delighted to combine our strengths to deliver outstanding products to customers.”

“This agreement will strengthen the international scope of the company and our position to establish international business alliances to reinforce business growth in our key markets” stated Sergio Treviño, CEO of Fagor Group. “We are delighted to collaborate with a global leader such as Haier to improve our competitive position in both the European market and also in the Asian region,” he concluded. Construction of the refrigerator factory is due to begin in September 2013 and production is expected by June 2014.