TCL air conditioning: racing and fission on the new cycle track

After two years of industry adjustment, an unexpected outbreak of novel coronavirus in 2020 brought China's household air-conditioning market back to the scale of 80 million units in 2017 and back to the origin of cyclical development. The development of each cycle is difficult to avoid challenges and pressure, but TCL air conditioners have entered the development of a new track in this cycle of 80 million units of shock uplink.

In the six consecutive years of scale growth from 2015 to 2020, TCL air conditioners seem to have jumped out of the pattern of periodic development and achieved breakthroughs and growth year after year, with a compound growth rate of 12% in these six years. In 2020, when the brand was in great turmoil, only two air-conditioning brands achieved the reverse growth in scale, one of which was TCL air-conditioning.

Development trend of TCL Air conditioning scale in 2015-2020 Cold years (10,000 units)

Data source: industry online

In the air conditioning industry, TCL is also an old brand, and how to forge ahead in the new era also tests the management wisdom of the leader. Since taking office, Chen Shaolin, vice president of TCL industry and general manager of the air-conditioning division, has sought change in adhering to the main air-conditioning industry and struck a balance between classic inheritance and breakthrough innovation. Under the guidance of General Manager Chen, TCL air conditioning has opened a new track for development.

Track 1 is laid out in advance all over the world, and the exit is brilliant.

The global market has been volatile in recent years, but the demand in overseas markets has been steadily increasing, and the performance of TCL in overseas markets has been excellent.

Today, with the rapid development of economic globalization, TCL air conditioners actively integrate into the global competition. It also takes a lot of courage for domestic brands to dare to go out to sea. With the increase in sales, in order to improve global competitiveness, TCL plans to build overseas production bases by 2019.

TCL air conditioner and ARISA, Indonesia's leading household appliance company, jointly launched the Indonesian factory project, which was officially mass-produced in December of that year.

The rapid implementation of the Indonesian project reflects the strength and confidence of TCL air conditioners in the global capacity layout and supply chain expansion.

From the strategic advance of the global layout, directly reflected in the export business, TCL air conditioners have been performing well in overseas markets in recent years, maintaining steady growth for many years, and double-digit growth in most years, which is very commendable. The export scale of TCL air conditioners in 2020 cold years has exceeded 6 million units, more than tripling the scale in 2015 cold years. Such excellent achievements are due to the active integration, cooperation and expansion of TCL air conditioners in the global air conditioning market, and to the promotion of product categories, functions, quality and new products.

Changes in overseas sales and growth of TCL air conditioners in cold years 2015-2020 (10,000 units)

Track 2 embraces channel change, and independent brands make a breakthrough in qualitative change.

The sudden outbreak of the epidemic in 2020 has caused great trouble to various industries. For home appliance enterprises, raw materials can not be put in place, production can not be effectively organized, and logistics is basically stagnant. This series of difficulties make everyone lose confidence in the whole market.

Opportunities are always left to those who are prepared. After the domestic epidemic is stable, the demand suppressed by the epidemic is gradually released. Under the premise of ensuring safety, TCL air conditioners actively resume work and production, quickly seize the opportunity, offline access is not smooth, changed to the main attack line, including the general manager with goods, including a variety of live activities are quite profitable. Online joint JD.com, SUNING, Tmall launched various preferential policies, peak season factory group purchase meeting, staff domestic purchase meeting and a series of measures also ensure the steady growth of sales.

From the perspective of overall sales, TCL air conditioners are facing fierce market competition in 2020. The two leading enterprises in the industry have invested huge resources in channels and products, flexible price strategies and strong marketing capabilities, which have led to great changes in the whole air conditioning industry. Under the situation of lack of consumer confidence, weak demand and fierce price competition in the whole industry, TCL air conditioners are still growing against the trend and are one of the few brands that can achieve growth.

Due to the continuous reshuffle of the air conditioning industry in the past two years, the domestic market OEM orders have been greatly reduced, so the previous OEM orders accounted for a certain proportion of TCL air conditioners, this year this part of the order volume will inevitably be affected. However, TCL still achieved year-on-year growth in the first 10 months of this year, mainly due to the rapid increase in the scale of self-branded products. According to the preliminary monitoring data of the industry online, the year-on-year growth rate of TCL independent brands from January to October 2020 reached 13.1%, which has become a decisive guarantee for the counter-trend growth of TCL air conditioners.

Comparison of the growth of China's air-conditioning industry and TCL air conditioners from January to October 2020 (%)

Track 3 lean quality management to build a digital factory

Since 2018, TCL air conditioners have implemented the "four beauties" cultural construction of boutique manufacturing, that is, the beauty of boutique environment, the beauty of process balance, the beauty of management ideas and the beauty of staff literacy. Carry out lean quality management to improve product quality through product simplification, professionalization of personnel, lean production and accurate inspection. After more than a year of efforts, phased results have been achieved.

First of all, through the simplification of internal and external machine platform, electronic control platform and standardized code, the failure rate of the current year is greatly reduced. At the same time, the structure of production personnel has also been optimized and improved. By improving the average educational level, skill level and growth channels of employees, and increasing the proportion of contract workers, a professional and skilled production team has been created, which is also an indispensable prerequisite for achieving quality first. In addition, TCL air conditioners have further improved the degree of standardization of materials and processes. By introducing the management method of seven-step process analysis, the process balance rate has increased from 61% to 75%.

In 2019, TCL air conditioners added automatic facilities such as compressor automatic on-line, heat exchanger automatic cutting and on-line, and automatic inspection of safety regulations, which are planned to be popularized to all domestic production lines at the beginning of next year. The newly built electronics factory has also been put into use, with an annual output capacity of 3.5 million, the quality of electronic control has been well controlled, and the through rate is 99.95%, reaching the leading level in the industry. A series of quality management measures have greatly improved the product quality.

Track 4 insists on building product strength, and technical quality becomes the driver.

Product power is not only one of the key elements of the success of the enterprise, but also the cornerstone of the healthy and rapid development of the enterprise. In terms of improving product power, TCL air conditioners on the one hand adhere to the leading quality, cost and efficiency; on the other hand, adhere to innovation and differentiation breakthroughs. In terms of quality, TCL air conditioners have established the most stringent standards comparable to the industry benchmark, adhere to the platform, standardization and generalization in the technical system, adhere to the four high design principles of "high reliability, good appearance, high cost performance and high intelligence", and build a competitive product platform.

The T Rui air conditioner released this year was born under a series of stringent requirements. T Rui Wisdom soft Wind double temperature living room air conditioner adopts the first double temperature technology of TCL air conditioner, which belongs to the industry leader. Based on the different physique and individual comfort among family members, and the stubborn exploration of why an air conditioner can not have two temperatures, TCL air conditioner successfully combines two different temperature differences in one air conditioner under the guidance of the infinite Mobius ring, breaking through the limit of dual temperature air conditioners in the industry.

It is understood that as long as the two-temperature living room air conditioner turns on the double temperature and encircling air supply function, the left and right air outlets of the air conditioner can encircle the wall to send out different wind forces with a temperature difference of 3 °C, realizing two different temperatures in one hall. it can also achieve the comfortable experience of encircling air supply. A series of innovation and breakthroughs have made TCL air conditioners a model for brand transformation and upgrading. In TCL's view, there is no end to the evolution and breakthrough of enterprises, and there is no end to innovation. On the way to success, we need to constantly set new goals and strive for them. Only in this way can we be in an invincible position.