Johannesburg - Hisense South Africa this week produced both their one millionth television set and one millionth fridge at its local manufacturing facility in at Atlantis, Western Cape, this week as both the rolled off the production line.
This coincided with the factory marks its fourth year of operation in Atlantis outside Cape Town.
The 27 000m² high tech manufacturing facility, situated in the Atlantis Industrial Park, has contributed significantly to the local economy and employs employs over 500 people on a full-time basis.
Hisense South Africa said the production milestone is a culmination of commitment, dedication and hard work that helped grow the high tech facility to what it is today.
Boost to community
HiSense's factory is a much-needed boost to the local community of Atlantis, where poverty and social issues have plagued the local community. It has invested considerable resources into training and social upliftment projects in the community, contributing to the well-being of approximately 2 000 people in the community.
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Albert Li, Head of Manufacturing at Hisense South Africa said achievements by the Atlantis manufacturing facility can be attributed to the commitment of all the staff.
“To be able to celebrate not only the production of a million television units but also one million fridges, is a rare occasion indeed. It speaks of the dedication that all our loyal staff members have, not just towards the brand, but also to a job well done,” Li said.
Production capabilities
The Atlantis facility produces 1 500 Hisense televisions and 1 200 fridges daily during an eight-hour shift, translating into an output of 22 seconds per fridge and 20 seconds per television, on average. It produces seven different fridge models currently, while capital expenditure deployment plans are in place to manufacture more high-end products.
On the television side, the products manufactured include LED, DLED, ELED, ULED, and Smart television sets, with screen sizes ranging from 32-inch to 85-inch.
Li said with demand for Hisense televisions and fridges consistently positioning the brand within the top three brands locally, the capabilities of the Atlantis plant are much needed.
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Apart from the South African market, the factory also exports to 13 other African countries, including Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and Lesotho.
“Hisense’s export strategy has certainly been a success as sales have grown from 5 million USD in 2014 to 29 million USD in 2016,” said Jessie Ma, Head of Export at Hisense South Africa.
Challenges and future
Li said the volatility of the Rand/Dollar exchange rate was a major challenge. “This has been the single most challenging factor to deal with, since so much planning is dependent on a stable exchange rate. While there are other local challenging factors at play, the management team have put in place the necessary strategies to deal with it. To date, the stability at the facility has been a major success story for Hisense.”
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