June 2021
ertonline.co.uk
Q&A
Q: How would you say you have best navigated these turbulent times? David Meyerowitz: 2020 was an exceptional year, especially with regards to supply-chain operations, logistics, sea freight timescales and significant increases in raw material prices. Fortunately, we were able to anticipate well the
impact of COVID-19 in the UK, due to the location of our global headquarters in China and our European headquarters in Northern Italy – two main epicentres of the first wave. We received regular updates and guidance that allowed us to be well prepared. For example, we moved all staff to home working and secured provision of PPE even before the first UK lockdown was announced. This advance warning kept us ahead of the game in many different respects. Our steadfast focus has been to protect our three
key priorities – our people, our customers and our brands. These priorities have been our compass to navigate successfully during the pandemic.
Q: Haier became the leading global appliance brand for the 12th consecutive year – how did it feel to be recognised in this way and how will you aim to ensure you’re number one again next year?
DM: Retaining this title for any amount of time is a fantastic achievement, so to have accomplished 12 years, against the backdrop of such turbulent times, is simply incredible. I believe that the triumph is down to four key
elements; our commitment to R&D, excellence in IoT, dedication to the RenDanHeYi model, which principally is ‘human value comes first’ and finally the continuous investment to support growth. Haier has established a user-centric “10+N”
open innovation eco-system globally, realising that where the user is, innovation is and where Haier’s R&D is. Research and development is fuelled by many elements, but particularly insights from smart appliance usage across our Haier, Hoover and Candy brands. What, how and when products are used is invaluable information that feeds into product development. R&D, combined with our IoT capabilities,
helped us to be quick to market with a number of best-in-class, A-rated washing machines. Top- scoring against the NEL classifications, our Haier SuperDrum Series 9, Hoover H-WASH 500 and Candy Rapid’Ó models offer the best energy efficiency on the market. The RenDanHeYi model reinvents the
traditional organisation hierarchy, creates the best user experience based on their needs and realises decentralisation and disintermediation. Through this, our commitment is to have ‘zero
distance to consumer’, creating demand and serving diverse needs. Finally, Haier’s investment for continuous
growth is simply outstanding. This is evidenced in three new factories for Europe; the first, a new tumble dryer factory in Turkey, the second, a new cooling factory in Romania, and the third… well, watch this space!
Q: How do you effectively engage with the end consumer via your retail partners? DM: We are very proud to have a mix of multinational and independent retailers who we view as an extension of the Haier workforce. In- line with our commitment to them, we have essentially developed a ‘wrap around’ support system to feed and facilitate sales, with the overall benefit of collaboratively and effectively serving the end consumer. Over the past 18-24 months we have evolved
internal infrastructure to recruit a kitchen specialist team and Channel Director for commercial contracts. We’ve also invested heavily in a range of marketing campaigns across all brands, building the foundations for our customers and the drive for their customers. We have defined a very comprehensive three-
brand strategy which covers all customer segments and price points both commercially and domestically.
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Shown here and opposite, Hoover’s COLLECTION 3 – a newly-designed cooking line with user-friendly connectivity and a robust design
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