China's Biggest Brands Try to Raise Their Profile

It was going to be the start of a Chinese invasion. Haier Group, a company from the northeastern Chinese city of Qingdao and the world’s largest maker of air conditioners, refrigerators, and other appliances, opened a factory in Camden, S.C., in 2000. The plant was Haier’s first in the U.S. and a big step in its strategy to expand beyond China and challenge Maytag and Whirlpool in American homes.

A decade later, Haier is still trying to win over American consumers. It’s had some success in niches such as minifridges for hotel rooms and college dorms, but it’s yet to make inroads in mainstream products such as full-size refrigerators and washing machines. Haier’s U.S. head count tells the story: about 250 workers at the South Carolina plant plus 220 working on U.S. sales and marketing. It has 80,000 workers worldwide. “We had a few ups and downs,” says Shariff Kan, president of Haier America.