Haier Europe has invested €85 million (£73 million) to create two new factories in Eskişehir, Turkey. The appliance brand hopes this will “improve production capacity, product availability and range flexibility”.
The first factory has 43,000sq m of space and has the capacity to produce 1.5 million tumbler-dryers a year across Haier Europe’s three brands – Candy, Hoover and Haier. The new plant employs 900 people and opened in October this year.
A new dishwasher factory is set to open in 2022 and will have a 1m unit capacity and employ around 700 people.
Yannick Fierling, chief executive officer of Haier Europe, said: “The new production facilities are a key step in elevating Haier to the top-three players in the industry in Europe by integrating artificial intelligence, IoT, and connectivity into high-end products and home solutions.
“We want to consolidate this mission by counting on a competitive industrial footprint and strong R&D and hi-tech capabilities, systems and platforms for the entire value chain.”
The facilities are said to serve both its domestic Chinese and global markets. It is said to be an “important step in delivering the brand’s vision to be the first consumer choice for the smart home”.
The factories have a variety of state-of-the-art facilities, such as a fully automated painting line and the fully digital quality check.