Haier: From failing fridge manufacturer to global electronic giant | Inside The Storm | Full Episode

I am greatly moved by the way CEO Zang Ruimin was able to change the mindset of the 'factory workers' to be the People who had a place in their industry. Important was the portioning of a large unwieldy super-factory into self- managed sections with immediate improvements to quality control and production. The greatest change was when the secretive, fearful, patent hugging, litigation mongering of the past was replaced by encouragement in innovation and entrepreneurial skills; Bravo!

Jack Welch of GE was a legend in America. He boosted GE's value by 4000% during his 16-year tenure in GE. Jack graduated from Massachusetts University for undergraduate degrees and then gained his Masters and Ph.D. degrees from Illinois University. Zhang Ruimin of Haier had a checked schooling since youth, interrupted by China's Cultural Revolution. He had discontinuous high school education and never went to University before he became the CEO of Haier. These two great CEOs have very different backgrounds.

In 1973-74 when I was in Japan I used to think and said that Japanese technology and Chinese human resources if combined together could form a great industrial powerhouse for engineering and consumer products and meeting needs of the whole world. China did not look as industrially and technologically advanced then as Japan because of Japanese workers amazing capability to produce high quality products in the form of automobiles, steel making, ship building, heavy fabrication and other high technology and quality product Japan was making in high capacity competing USA. Amazingly in just 20-25 years of time since then China achieved tremendous technological breakthrough in a way perhaps the world has never seen before. Now it is a producer of all kind of high technology engineered product, machinery and equipment that only Europe and America could produce or producing before. This story of Haier is one story of one type of product and there are many more surprising stories not yet revealed.

My parents bought a haier ac when i was born. it is over 20 yrs old and still functioning.

I bought an American made Amana refrigerator back in 1995.That's 23 years years ago! It has been with me through 2 marriages, also the appliance store I bought it from (SiLo) went under, because of Circuit City, which also went under years later. This Amana refrigerator is still going strong! No issues whatsoever. Very happy with my purchase.

We own a Haier fridge / freezer since 10 years - and it never let us down. Great appliance, and now I have begun to understand why.

Such an inspiring story, CEO Zhang is an admirable manager

So inspiring...Am currently working with Haier company in Kenya as a merchandiser..and am looking forward to growing and help grow the company in Kenya. Thank you Haier

I think i just watch some of the best documenteries in my life!

Our 20 year old GE fridge finally kicked the bucket and went cold yesterday. Went to the appliance store and finally settled on a Haier fridge. Found out thru this video that my fridge is related to GE

US GE felt running like empire or dictatorship while HAIER companies felt running like democracy!....really strange!

It was such a great story I watched now. Truly inspiring! It's weird but I even almost cried seeing this rise from humble beginnings to that greatness, with being persistent, always learning and working on yourself, aiming to be the best but staying humble! Thanks for making this film <3

When i bought a Haier notebook years ago i seriously thought it was a German company. Haier turns out to be a very innovative company. Great job!

A very inspiring business story from China. It has proved China and US can work together and thrive both

We own a Haier fridge, we did not knew that it was a Chinese company while buying, now i do, but even though Chinese products are usually associated with poor quality, Haier is an exception, our fridge works really well, and we never had a problem with it. I will recommend Haier refrigerators to anyone wishing to buy one.

I once had a Haier fridge, the thing lasted 10 years and was only decommissioned due to non-availability of parts. Went to the market and got another Haier fridge. Five years later, it's still running like new.

Very inspiring. Together we can make so much more

I had been inspirited by watching this wonderful documentary

In the 40's, both of my parents worked at GE in Ft. Wayne, IN. My father in the Specialty Transformer Dept. and my mother as an RN in the in-plant medical facility. My aunt and two uncles all worked at GE too. When I graduated from high school in 1963, I also went to work at GE. All our appliances were GE, purchased at the employee store at a deep discount. GE is now gone from Ft. Wayne, with the acres of buildings repurposed or torn down. Our last refrigerator, a GE, lasted for 27 years before it needed replacement. A new GE from Home Depot replaced it. The new one has more bells and whistles than the old one but works great. I guess we made the right choice by picking GE.

I'm drinking cold beer from my Haier fridge right now. Thank you!