White electricity blows up the smart air and the giants across the air

Recently, domestic appliance giants have taken the ride of the China Household Appliances Expo and released new products in Shanghai, while foreign brands such as LG and Samsung have chosen to stay in Beijing. "This is just a coincidence in terms of time. We do not have the same meaning as the Chinese home appliance industry." Some Samsung executives half-jokingly explained to the "China Electronics News" reporter. However, the gap between the Chinese and foreign giants made people smell the first taste of the home appliance industry in 2012.

Foreign companies strengthen China's strategy

Samsung and LG have played a "Chinese card" in high profile, and the desolate Whirlpool also wants to rank among the top brands in the white goods market.

On March 20th, LG demonstrated its original refrigerator door door design and new washing machine that can intelligently simulate 6 kinds of laundry actions in Beijing, reflecting its meticulous dedication to the product. The next day, Samsung led the huge white new product group with the world's thinnest 8 kg drum washing machine, revealing its determination to strengthen the white power strategy. Kim Young-Soon, President of Samsung Electronics Greater China, emphasized the importance of China's strategic position by "relentlessly breaking through market differences and specifically designing and developing more quality products for Chinese consumers." Nan Rongyou, president of LG Electronics Greater China, defined the Chinese market. For LG's most important market, and said that "the success of the Chinese market means that LG's success in the global market."

LG and Samsung, the time when the two old rivals released new products only one day apart, the tip of the meaning of Maimang is very obvious, and the importance of the Chinese market is also exactly the same.

For the above two companies to play a high profile "China card", Peng Yi, assistant president of China Excellco, thinks that because in the case of slower-than-expected economic recovery in Europe and the United States, there is no more important market than China, "a rapidly growing economy There is always a great demand for consumer goods."

Not only is it a first-line foreign brand, Whirlpool, which has long been absent in the Chinese market, has also begun planning to establish a sales company through cooperation with Suning, which will double the sales of air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines within three years, making it one of the leading brands in China.

"Foreign household appliances companies will be more active than in previous years, especially in the second and third-tier markets," Peng Yu predicted. According to China Yikang's monitoring data, the average primary market growth rate for the six major appliances, including ice and air washing, in 2011 was only 9.1%, while the growth rates in the secondary and tertiary markets reached 23.3% and 22.3 respectively in the same period. %. Peng Peng believes that foreign-funded enterprises have already established a foothold in the primary market, but they are subject to organizational structure, investment, and channel laying, and they are flat in the second and third-tier markets. "Because of the slowdown in the growth of the primary market, foreign-funded enterprises are in second and third grade. The market will have more investment."

Peng Yu’s analysis was also confirmed at Samsung. Xie Hui, deputy general manager of white goods marketing at Samsung Investment Co., Ltd., said that the overall situation this year will be more optimistic because there are many business opportunities in the tertiary and tertiary markets. It is understood that this year, Samsung plans to cooperate with agents to develop the third and fourth-tier markets and will open another hundred new stores.

Chinese and foreign giant fighting intelligence

Smart appliances are expected to become the biggest attraction for the home appliance industry this year.

It is not difficult to see from the new white products displayed by LG and Samsung that both parties have devoted more efforts to product intelligence than ever before. LG hopes that its products can outline a "smart blueprint for a new smart life," and Samsung is trying to extend the concept and technology of black electronics to white products.

At the same time held in the China Household Appliances Expo, "smart" has become the biggest selling point of domestic mainstream home appliance companies. Haier launched a series of smart appliances including one-click intelligent air-conditioning and water heaters; Meiling brought a “wisdom refrigerator” integrating entertainment and intelligent control; Little Swan showed a full range of automatic washing machines. Little Swan Co., Ltd. General Manager Chai Xinjian believes that the washing machine has entered the "all-smart laundry era."

For this intelligent storm set off by home appliance companies, Peng Xin believes that compared to the theme of energy conservation and environmental protection that has been proposed for several years, intelligence has only begun to attract the attention of more companies in the past six months and is expected to become the biggest attraction for the home appliance industry this year. Recently, the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan for Internet of Things Development" released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which includes smart home appliances, including intelligent control of home appliances, has been included in key areas of application demonstration projects, and it will be of great benefit to the development of smart home appliances. .

However, industry insiders pointed out that the intelligent products launched by various companies are still relatively elementary, and there is still a gap between the actual use effect and the propaganda of manufacturers. In addition, the company's smart roadmap is not yet clear. According to Hu Ziqiang, director of the Suzhou Samsung Electronics Household Appliances Research Institute, intelligence should include three levels, namely, the product itself is intelligent, has the function of the Internet of Things and can be applied on the intelligent network. He believes that the concept of smart appliances at this stage is still relatively vague, and China still has many things to perfect at the level of technology and standards. A company executive with a similar view revealed to reporters that they are well prepared for technology, but the introduction of smart products is still ripe. "The intelligence of white power in the past three years is worthwhile," he said.

This year, the pattern of home appliance industry has changed?

Samsung wants to fight for the boss of foreign home appliance brand, Haier quietly exerted power in the air-conditioning market.

"This year, the market structure of white electricity will change steadily." After seeing the "air-to-air dialogue" between Chinese and foreign white companies, many people in the industry expressed this view to reporters.

Samsung first made waves. "We want to be the first high-end refrigerator within two years." Xie Hui said at the Samsung China forum. This is not just a rhetoric of self-motivation. The emboldenedness comes from the fact that in 2011, Samsung’s market share in China’s open refrigerators has topped the list.

Peng Yu told reporters that at present, the competition of the three major foreign brands of Siemens, Samsung and LG mainly focuses on high-end development. In the field of refrigerators with the most intense competition, the three are evenly matched, and Samsung temporarily leads the open market. In terms of washing machines, Siemens's advantages are more obvious. Samsung and LG are often inseparable.

An analyst who did not want to be named pointed out that if Samsung and LG extended the strong black-to-black technology to white power, choosing the right breakthrough, and investing in corresponding resources for vigorous publicity and promotion, it would not be impossible for Siemens to surpass the “boss” within a few years. . "The 'refrigerator door' has not yet reached the balance in the past six months, indicating that Siemens lacks the ability to respond to the Chinese market."

Similar "infighting" also appeared between domestic brands. Haier recently performed frequent actions in air-conditioning. In February, Haier established an inverter air conditioner research and development center in Japan; recently, Haier launched the world’s first air conditioner that can remove PM 2.5, and won the National Science and Technology Progress Award; at the Shanghai Home Fair, Haier The industrial design of air-conditioning products has made remarkable progress, and it has made people brighten up. "Haier will challenge Gree and Midea to control the air-conditioning market." A consultant who returned from Shanghai Home Appliances Expo told reporters that "its success or failure is not based on brand awareness and product concepts, but it depends critically on business thinking and channel management capabilities."

In 2012, China's white-electricity industry competition is entering a better position.