Hisense Group
Hisense Group
Hisense Group
The Hisense state-owned[4][5][6] holding company has subsidiaries that include two listed companies,
Hisense Visual Technology Co., Ltd.[7] and Hisense H.A.,[8] listed in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
[9][10][11]
Hisense retails products under several brand names. These include Hisense, Toshiba, Gorenje, Kelon and
Ronshen.[12] Hisense is also an OEM, so some of the products it makes are sold to other manufacturers
and carry a brand name not related to Hisense.[Bell 1] The main products of Hisense are televisions;
their first TV model CJD18 was produced in 1978.[13] It has invented a type of transparent television in
2013.[14] In 2015 it acquired the right to sell televisions in the Americas using the brand name of the
Japanese firm Sharp.[15]
In 2020, it introduced the world's first true 8K 10 bit HDR screen TV that is based on an AI-powered HDR
algorithm and an image quality engine claiming 6.5T supercomputing power.[16]
Hisense Group has more than 80,000 employees world-wide, as well as 14 industrial parks, some of
which are located in Qingdao, Shunde, Huzhou, Czech Republic, South Africa and Mexico. There are also
18 R&D centers located in Qingdao, Shenzhen, the United States, Germany, Israel, and more.[17]
In September 1969, Qingdao No.2 Radio Factory, the predecessor of Hisense Group, was established.
This is the year its existence was first officially recognized.[Bell 2] The small factory's first product was a
radio sold under the brand name Red Lantern, but the company later acquired the know-how to make
TVs through a trial-production of black and white televisions ordered by the Shandong National Defense
Office.[18] This involved the technical training of three employees at another Chinese factory, Tianjin
712, and resulted in the production of 82 televisions by 1971[18] and the development of transistor TVs
by 1975.[Bell 2]
Television production in China was limited until 1979 when a Beijing meeting of the Ministry of
Electronics called for greater development of the civil-use electronics industry.[18] Qingdao No.2 Radio
Factory was then quickly merged with other local electronics makers and began to manufacture
televisions under the name Qingdao General Television Factory[Bell 2] in Shandong province.[Bell 2]
Color televisions were manufactured through the purchase of a production line from Matsushita,[Bell
2] the first of many such technology transfers from foreign firms Hisense has made in order to remain
competitive. The companies it has bought from
include Hitachi, Lucent, Matsushita, NEC, Sanyo, Toshiba, and Qualcomm.[Bell 3]
The Hisense Group emerged in 1994[18] from a tumult started in 1992 by then-president Zhou Houjian
or perhaps even by Li Dezhen, director of the Electronic Instrument Bureau of Qingdao. [Bell 2] The
Hisense Electrical Appliance Share Holding Company (now, Hisense Electrical Co Ltd) was publicly
listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in April 1997.[Bell 2] Increased competition and price wars in the
Chinese electronics market in the 1990s were a boon to Hisense,[18] which acquired ten failing
enterprises by 1998.[Bell 2]
Eager to expand beyond consumer electronics, Hisense Group aimed to also become a regional leader in
household appliances, computers and communications.[18] This strategy prompted great outlays of
capital on R&D and on the creation of industrial parks,[18] etc.
In July 2015, Hisense bought a Mexico facility from Sharp for $23.7 million alongside rights to use the
Sharp brand on televisions sold in North and South America.[15]
In November 2017, Hisense announced that it would acquire a 95% controlling stake in Toshiba Visual
Solutions for US$113 million.[19] In 2018, Hisense became the majority shareholder in Slovenian
appliance manufacturer Gorenje with 95.4% of shares.[20]
Combine: Affixed to no frills air conditioners and refrigerators, Combine-branded products may be
purchased by Chinese farmers.[12]
Hisense Kelon: A high-end brand under Hisense,[12] can be found on refrigerators and air-conditioners.
[21]
Ronshen: High quality, middle-end air conditioners and refrigerators retail under this brand name.[12]
Savor: A home appliance brand, from the eponymous Modern English word.[22]
Toshiba: On 15 November 2017, Hisense reached a $114 million deal to acquire a 95% stake
of Toshiba Visual Solutions.[23]