時事新聞:海爾擬在歐洲大舉擴張

Haier, the world's leading appliance maker by sales volume and one of China's most famous brands, plans to expand in Europe by acquiring or building production facilities that will bring it closer to EU consumers.

全球銷售量領先的家電製造商、中國最知名品牌之一海爾(Haier)計劃通過收購或興建生產設施在歐洲進行擴張，這些生產設施將使其更加接近歐盟(EU)消費者。

For a Chinese mainland brand that wants to make it in Europe, it helps to have a name that sounds European – which means Haier could well realise that ambition.

對於一個希望在歐洲取勝的中國內地品牌而言，擁有一個歐式的名稱會有所幫助，這意味着，海爾很有可能實現這一雄心。

The company has built a successful presence in the US, where 30 per cent of households own a Haier product. Overall, 26 per cent of its $23bn global turnover comes from overseas.

海爾已在美國成功構建市場份額，目前30%的美國家庭擁有海爾產品。總體來看，在該集團230億美元的總營業額中，26%來自海外。

Now Haier wants to boost sales in Europe, where it has more than doubled market share in the past five years but still has only 1 per cent of the major appliance market, a whisker behind Japan's Panasonicand Sharp, which account for just over 1 per cent each. Haier's plan is to target the middle to upper end of the appliance market, rather than the low end traditionally associated with Chinese companies that compete mainly on price.

如今，海爾希望擴大在歐洲的銷售額，過去5年，該集團在歐洲的市場佔有率提高了一倍多，但仍僅佔大家電市場的1%，略落後於日本的松下(Panasonic)和夏普(Sharp)，這兩家日本公司各自佔歐洲大家電市場的1%多一點。海爾的計劃是瞄準家電市場的中高端，而非傳統上以價格競爭爲主的中國企業所瞄準的低端市場。

Haier, which has 25 per cent of its home market, is candid about the fact that part of its success overseas has been because most global consumers do not know it is Chinese.

海爾在中國市場的佔有率爲25%，該集團坦承，其海外成功有一部分是因爲多數全球消費者不知道它是一家中國企業。

"We never emphasise that point," says Li Pan, managing director of Haier's overseas division. "We don't deny it, but we don't emphasise it".

"我們從不強調這點," 海爾海外市場總監李攀表示，"我們不否認這點，但也不去強調它。"

Based in the seaside town of Qingdao, Haier says it is a coincidence that the name, created from the Chinese character for "sea", sounds German. But that is the kind of happy coincidence that can make or break a brand. Companies that sound Chinese start out with a big handicap overseas: whether they make microwaves or microchips, they are tarred with the same brush as those that made China infamous for poisoning babies with tainted milk powder.

總部位於中國海濱城市青島的海爾表示，源自中國漢字"海"的這個名稱聽上去像德文，無非是一個巧合。但這種機緣巧合可以成就一個品牌也可以毀滅一個品牌。名字聽上去像中國牌子的企業進軍海外時，從一開始就會遭遇一個重大障礙：不管是製造微波爐還是微芯片，它們都被視爲與那些用毒奶粉毒害嬰兒、從而讓中國聲名狼藉的企業是一路貨色。

But it has taken much more than a few German-sounding vowels to propel the company – a bankrupt shell in 1984 – to a top global brand for major appliances in less than 25 years.

但推動該集團在不到25年內就成爲全球頂級大家電品牌的，遠不僅僅是幾個聽上去像德文的元音。1984年，這家企業還只是一家瀕臨倒閉的小廠。

Mr Li says Haier has set itself apart from other Chinese manufacturers by focusing on building the brand, not just selling products; competing on value for money rather than just low prices; and investing in 10 research and development centres around the world.

李攀表示，海爾專注於品牌塑造，而不僅僅是銷售產品；在"物超所值"而非僅僅是低價這個賣點上展開競爭；以及在世界各地投資於10個研發中心，這一切都讓該公司與中國其他製造商區別開來。

The company has also tried to counter the impression that Chinese appliances are substandard. Last year Which?, the UK consumer rights organisation, rated one of Haier's fridges a "best buy".

該集團還試圖逆轉這一印象：即中國家電產品都是劣質的。去年，英國消費者權利組織"Which?"將海爾的一款冰箱評爲"最值得購買的商品"。

René Aubertin, chief executive of Haier in Europe and vice-president of the company, says it will be making a play for high-end European consumers. Haier is also aiming for younger "trendsetters" and has won design awards with which to woo them.

海爾副總裁、歐洲區首席執行官勒內•奧貝坦(René Aubertin)表示，海爾會嘗試吸引歐洲高端消費者。海爾也瞄準了比較年輕的"潮流引領者"，並贏得了一些設計獎項，來博取這些人的青睞。

Booz and Co, the management consultancy, singled it out as a leader in Chinese innovation. From air-conditioners that take pictures of intruders to a fridge with a pizza drawer for the US market, Haier looks for ways to stand out.

管理諮詢公司博斯(Booz and Co)指出，海爾是中國領先的創新者。從能夠對入室行竊者拍照的空調，到面向美國市場、有一層抽屜專門放比薩餅的冰箱，海爾都想方設法標新立異。

But it urgently needs more production facilities in Europe to reduce lead times, counter currency effects and avoid rising transport costs.

但海爾急需在歐洲增加生產設施，以縮短交貨期，消除匯率變化的影響，並省卻不斷上升的運費。

Haier is not the only Chinese company looking for opportunities in Europe. Chinese direct investment in Europe tripled in 2011 to $10bn, according to a study published recently by Rhodium Group, an economic consultancy, in partnership with CICC, a Chinese investment bank. The report predicted Chinese companies could spend between $250bn and $500bn in the region by 2020.

海爾並非唯一在歐洲尋找商機的中國企業。經濟諮詢公司榮鼎諮詢(Rhodium Group)與中國投行中金公司(CICC)最近聯合發表的一份研究報告表明，中國對歐洲的直接投資在2011年增長了兩倍，達到100億美元。該報告預測，到2020年，中國企業對歐洲的直接投資可能達到2500億至5000億美元。

Zhang Ruimin, Haier's founder and chief executive, has won business school fame around the world for an incident when, as director of the collective Qingdao refrigerator factory in 1984, he smashed faulty models on the factory floor with a sledgehammer to dramatise his intolerance of defects.

1984年，海爾創始人、首席執行官張瑞敏還是集體制企業青島電冰箱總廠的廠長。爲了表明自己絕不容忍有缺陷的產品，他在車間裏用一把大錘砸爛了一些有問題的冰箱。這件事後來享譽全世界的商學院。

Steven Veldhoen of Booz says Haier's success has been its "closeness to the market and responsiveness to consumers" – but adds that, as the company expands globally, holding on to some of those elements "will not be so easy".

博斯的範賀文(Steven Veldhoen)表示，一直以來海爾的成功之處在於它"貼近市場、緊跟消費者需求"。但範賀文補充表示，隨着海爾在全球進行擴張，堅持這一點"將非易事"。

So far, Haier has adapted rapidly when difficulties arise. Problems at its first UK air-conditioning joint venture forced a closure in 2006. Haier responded by restructuring its European business to bring in local management and build local R and D centres.

迄今爲止，在出現問題的時候，海爾總能很快地進行調適。海爾在英國的第一家合資空調廠因各種問題在2006年關閉。海爾總結教訓，對歐洲業務進行了重組，引入本地管理團隊，並建立本地研發中心。

Haier could yet become a household name in Europe – before most customers figure out it is Chinese.

海爾還有機會把自己打造成在歐洲家喻戶曉的品牌——在多數消費者搞清楚它來自中國之前。