By Patrick Avenell in China.
QINGDAO, CHINA: At a tour of Haier's enormous manufacturing and administration centre in Qingdao, PR China, Current.com.au saw a number of products Haier could be bringing to Australia now that is cemented its position in the market through its almost 20 per cent stake in Fisher & Paykel. Haier Group president, Asia Pacific, Philip S Carmichael refused to confirm what new product lines would be coming to Australia, though he did say that new, targeted categories will be introduced by the end of 2010.
Haier manufacture sinks and other bathroom fittings in China.
Haier is one of the biggest mobile phone providers in China.
Haier's range of PCs, monitors and peripherals is formidable.
This is one product that would be great in Australia: a washing machine that doesn't require detergent. Carmichael said this was a hit in the Athlete's Village at Beijing 2008.
Whether Australia needs another small appliances supplier is debatable, but a line such as this would give consumers an opportunity to completely streamline their kitchen.
This Haier TV comes inbuilt with a Wii-style games package that is played with the TV remote.
This is a bathroom based intercom. When there's a knock on the door, bathers can see who it is without getting out of the bath. Of course, you still have to get out of the bath to let them in…
This is one of the craziest products ever seen: it is a dedicated cow bath water warmer. Apparently different cows need to be cleaned at different temperatures, all made possible through this Haier appliance.
Haier also has a range of netbook PCs for those not interested in an iPad.
From the archives: this is Math TV, one of Haier's craziest products (originally released last decade). KIds can't watch TV until they have solved a series of maths problems.