Hisense Group, a Chinese manufacturer of household appliances and electronic products, has a $250 million investment program in Mexico to expand its operations and turn Mexico into the largest producer of refrigerators after its plant in China. It also plans to produce washing machines and air conditioning equipment at its plant in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.
In the next 5 years, Hisense Mexico will become the largest refrigerator plant in the world that Hisense has outside of China, said the CEO of Hisense Mexico, Antonio Hidalgo, according to the newspaper Milenio.
Currently, the first phase began production of refrigerators, the second phase began production of stoves, and two more stages are missing. Both the newspaper Milenio and other media outlets failed to specify the schedule for phases three and four.
Upon completion of the total investment, Hisense Mexico will have the capacity to manufacture two million refrigerators a year, making it the company's largest plant outside of China, Hidalgo said. These refrigerators will be exported throughout the American continent.
Currently, the businessman said, all white goods (washing machines and dryers, among others) are imported. Of the refrigerators, part is imported and another part manufactured in Nuevo Leon.