Hundreds of millions of Chinese people have access to the Internet, and the interconnection of mobile phones and home appliances has brought tangible conveniences. Chinese home appliances not only lead the world in terms of production, but have also achieved comprehensive surpasses in branding and intelligence.
Chinese brands dominate the consumer market
In 2023, the China Household Appliances Research Institute conducted a brand evaluation of 15 major home appliance categories. The results showed that in most categories, the most popular among consumers are Chinese independent brands. This is not a breakthrough in individual categories, but an all-round victory from large appliances to small appliances. Behind the data is the vote of confidence cast by consumers with real money, and it also marks the fundamental improvement of China's brand power.
This dominant position stems from long-term accumulation, initially through learning and imitation, and then through technological research and design innovation. Chinese brands have gone through a complete development cycle. In the mainstream consumer market, the influence of international brands is far less than it used to be. Chinese brands rely on their in-depth understanding of local needs, rapid product iteration and complete service systems to firmly occupy the home field advantage.
Hidden champions emerge in the industry chain
The industry-leading trend demonstrated in terms of terminal brands does not stop here, but extends more widely throughout the entire industry chain. In the field of key parts and components, in the field of new materials, in many fields such as specialty categories, many "single champion" companies or "hidden champion" companies have emerged one after another. These companies may not necessarily be very large in scale, but they have extremely strong technical barriers and market say in their respective carefully divided fields.
As industry experts have said, every company is looking for a unique living space. As long as it can develop innovative products that are attractive to specific groups of people, it must contain irreplaceable value. This is an industrial ecology that presents a "letting a hundred flowers bloom" situation. It constitutes a solid and resilient foundation for the national electrical appliance industry, avoiding the vicious competition of homogeneity and promoting the continuous and steady improvement of the technical level of the entire field.
Comprehensive leadership in the intelligent stage
China's home appliance industry has entered a new stage marked by intelligent interconnection. This leadership is not an advantage that can be possessed by a single product line, but has achieved a systematic lead in most categories. Chinese companies have taken the lead in applying Internet of Things and artificial intelligence technology to home appliances on a large scale to build a complete smart home ecosystem.
From smart air conditioners and refrigerators to kitchen appliances and cleaning appliances, the smart products launched by Chinese brands not only have a wide range of functions, but also focus on user experience and scene linkage. Such comprehensive leadership relies on China's huge Internet user base and active market innovation atmosphere, which provide an excellent testing ground and application soil for smart home appliances.
Breaking through stuck technology requires national strength
Although its achievements in complete machine manufacturing and branding are quite outstanding, China's home appliance industry still faces challenges in "stuck" areas such as some core basic technologies, high-end chips, precision sensors, etc. To achieve a high-quality development trend from large scale to strong quality, it is far from enough to rely solely on the company's own efforts. It also requires the intervention of national strategic forces and corresponding support.
In 2016, the national level began to lay out the construction of manufacturing innovation centers, with the purpose of concentrating its efforts on conquering common key technologies in the industry, which is extremely important for the technology-intensive and globally competitive home appliance industry. The support of national power can help companies disperse the high risks and long-term investment in cutting-edge technology research and development, thereby providing a basic platform for the overall upgrading of the industry.
The strategic role of national innovation centers
Institutions such as the National Innovation Center for High-end Intelligent Home Appliances have a unique mission. Their positioning is not to repeat the work that companies have already carried out, but to act as "yeast" to carry out basic and forward-looking research that a single company is unwilling or unable to invest, but is extremely critical to the future of the industry, such as creating a unified digital base for smart homes and formulating a standard system for high-end smart home appliances.
The purpose of implementing these tasks is to "forge the long plate" and promote my country's home appliances to continue to lead the global market. By building an open and collaborative innovation ecosystem, connecting resources from all aspects of industry, academia and research, and solving common problems in the industry chain, the goal is to enhance the international competitiveness of the entire industry and the ability to define future markets.
Global layout and local innovation
In the process of global industrial layout, Chinese home appliance companies are accelerating. During this period, the creativity and flexibility of Chinese companies have been widely recognized by the world. Whether it is ultra-thin refrigerators customized for Japanese small households or long-term cold storage freezers produced to meet the needs of African users, they all demonstrate profound localized innovative thinking.
This ability stems from the tempering of the Chinese market. As scholars say, China's home appliance industry has developed in extremely fierce competition with international brands since its inception. Therefore, as it moves towards the global market, Chinese companies are more calm and confident in facing international competition. A rich brand array, diverse product series and continuous innovation capabilities are pushing Chinese brands to gain a position in the global mid-to-high-end market.
After reading this article, do you think that in order for China's home appliance industry to achieve a complete transformation from a "global manufacturing power" to a "global innovation power", what are the shortcomings that need to be addressed most urgently? You are welcome to share your views in the comment area. If you feel you have gained something, please give it a thumbs up to support it.
