A 13-hour flight to Hangzhou, followed by another two hours by plane to land in Qingdao, one of Shandong’s major cities, known for tourism and one of China’s most important industrial ports. The city of beer, which bears the same name and owes its fame to German rule in the first two decades of the 20th century, is home to Hisense’s headquarters.

A brand we know in Europe for televisions, but which is active in many different areas, ranging from smart homes to washing machines, refrigerators and ovens, as well as healthcare devices, optics, chips, commercial displays, air conditioning, transport, automotive and real estate services.

A city tailored to Hisense

The size and pervasiveness of the company founded in 1969 is clearly evident in Qingdao, not only because of its new headquarters inaugurated last year, with three 35-storey buildings employing around 2,000 people. The city also has showrooms, factories, schools and even Hisense Plaza, a large area with a luxury shopping centre.

I find these trips invaluable and useful because they allow us to discover little-known realities. Going there is not like meeting at a trade fair or a new product presentation because by sharing time and space with the company, you can observe processes, talk to managers and employees, and get a feel for what is going well and what is not within the scope of what we are allowed to see.

There are two considerations to make about the tour in Qingdao. Firstly, Hisense was very willing to answer questions and satisfy my curiosity and that of my colleagues who had travelled from Italy. A second aspect concerns Chinese companies, which want to make themselves known to the West and, therefore, play their cards fairly openly. There is no comparison with what is offered and said by the best-known US tech giants, which often hide behind silence and leave little room for questions from journalists (not only about company figures).

It must be said that Chinese companies are interested in expanding their presence in Europe, so it is only natural that they are opening up to the media, not least because one of their top priorities is to dispel the old notion that “made in China” is synonymous with low-quality copies. Those who follow consumer electronics know that China has been in turbo mode for years now, with its many companies contributing significantly to innovation in various technologies and product categories.

Numbers and brands behind leadership

Present in 160 countries, Hisense is a company in constant growth. This is demonstrated by the increase in turnover every year, including revenues generated abroad, which in 2024 amounted to over $12 billion, equivalent to 46.3% of the total figure. To get an idea of the size of the company, there are approximately 100,000 employees, including 16,000 in the research and development division, which accounts for 3% of annual turnover.

In Europe, there are more than 10,000 employees, and last year’s turnover was $4.5 billion, thanks in part to Hisense’s own brands, ranging from Hitachi and Toshiba to Asko, York, Gorenje, Sanden, Viddà, Ronshen, Kelon, Changelight and KE Electric. Its activities in Europe are driven by three production factories (Serbia, Czech Republic and Slovenia) and five research centres (Sweden, Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany and Italy), which enable faster production and a more efficient supply chain capable of responding quickly to the needs of European markets.

The importance of sport

As mentioned, televisions are Hisense’s flagship product, and the company is the third largest manufacturer in Europe (8.7% market share) behind Samsung (33%) and LG (22%). The top two spots seem unattainable, but in certain markets, Hisense has managed to close the gap with second place, as was the case in Italy in the first quarter of 2025. ‘It was the first time, and the goal is to get closer and closer by offering high-quality products at the right price,’ said Jiatao Pan, Deputy General Manager of Hisense Italy.

The brand’s growth has been and continues to be driven by its partnership and sponsorship strategy, particularly in sports, such as Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Paris Saint Germain, the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Football Championships, and the NBA. ‘We are a company that has the ability to make great products, but few people in Europe know us yet, and focusing on sport allows us to connect with new audiences interested in our devices,’ explained Wood Bi, Assistant Vice President of Hisense International.

Think global, act local

Beyond the numbers, which are fundamental for a company operating on a global scale and which reward Hisense (for TVs, it is on the podium in Slovenia, Poland, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as South Africa, Australia, Japan, Mexico and Canada), it was interesting to discover the philosophy on which Hisense has built its rise. ‘Think global, act local‘ is the company motto, which has materialised in the creation of a 5+1 regional-global operations centre linking Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific and Southeast Asia with China.

The idea was to form an integrated platform for research and development, production and sales, sharing resources worldwide. In this way, collaboration between the headquarters in Qingdao and the rest of China with offices, research centres (17) and industrial parks (19) abroad ensures rapid and flexible production, which is crucial to meeting growing demand.

By creating a similar system, Hisense has gone from manufacturing under licence for other brands to becoming a world leader. ‘Up to tento fifteen years ago, more than 50% of production was OEM, but thanks to our ability to make ourselves known and create an identity, now more than 85% of production is for our own brand,’ summarised Wood Bi.

In light of what I saw in Qingdao, if Hisense aims to expand into other sectors in Europe beyond TVs, HVAC and large appliances, it is likely to be successful. This is because it understands the differences between European markets and has the industrial, manufacturing and logistical capabilities to establish itself, especially if it continues to offer good quality at the right price.