First anniversary at Hisense SA

For the third consecutive year Hisense South Africa achieved substantial top line growth of 30%. Commenting on this, Jerry Liu, president of Hisense South Africa said: "Our continued top-line growth is a phenomenal success, which we believe can be attributed to two aspects: we offer the best product and service to our customers; and we have fostered incredibly strong and strategic partnerships with retail, government and suppliers alike."

Against the backdrop of this achievement was the mammoth task of commissioning the large manufacturing operation in Cape Town, a R350 million investment. The facility was up and running after just only six months.

Today the manufacturing facility is fully operational and has the capacity to produce 400 000 TVs and fridges per annum. A milestone is the manufacturing of the Hisense 84" UHD TV - the first to be manufactured on African soil.

"Apart from the commercial attributes, our manufacturing facility has become an institution for job creation and skills development: we employ around 500 people from the area, almost 200 more than our first 12 month forecast. This employment and skills development, in turn, empowers the staff, their families and the community at large," continued Liu.

2014: the Year of Change

With 2014 in full swing, Hisense has adopted the theme - the "Year of Change".

Explaining the focus ahead, the deputy GM, Ebrahim Kahn, said: "The business has achieved a Certificate of Origin and a Proudly South African endorsement - both of which will assist us in building our brand in sub-Saharan Africa in an aggressive manner.

"We also intend on investing into more resources in order to grow the businesses footprint, and to enhance public perception of the brand.

"On the horizon, too, are new products, such as our mobile telecommunication devices and audio systems, which we will be bringing to market as strong competitors. At the core of this will be the introduction of our Four Year Warranty - which is almost double the industry standard," he continued.

Robust business model developed

To achieve their targets, Hisense South Africa has developed a robust business model to take on competitors in the South African market strongly.

The model, coined by the brand as its "G to G" strategy, will be used as a cornerstone for driving competitive offering and customer service.

"We've refined aspects of our business model and offering to enable us to compete more aggressively. Our focus is on three pillars - great products, great service, and great value - and we aim to be leaders in each of these areas," continued Khan.

"We see growth in the South African market, which continues to be placed as the priority market. However, we are analysing other key African markets for new growth opportunities," Khan ended.