There are few world-renowned brands made in China, Haier is one of them. In the 1990s, the Haier Group began to tap into overseas markets. Instead of pursuing short-term gains, Haier focused on building its brand, reaching out to the world and pursuing smart manufacturing, I visited one factory here in Qingdao. 

This is one of the most advanced workshops in the world, one floor of a Haier air-conditioner factory, the most recognized Chinese electrical appliance maker outside the country's borders.  Everything that can be automated already has been. But Haier has gone one step further, they want to make all their factories smart.

This one in Qingdao is their first smart factory. The assembly is connected to the internet. When a customer makes an order, it is immediately read and processed by the factory.

LI HONGJIN, CHIEF PLATFORM OFFICER HAIER JIAOZHOU INTERCONNECTED AC FACTORY "From the screen, we can see the orders from the customers. Their specific requirements can reach directly to the production line. That's how we inter-connect the customers and the plant."

And customers can not only make an order but also customize the order. They can ask for a bigger one, a stronger one or a prettier one. And their appliances are connected and can talk to each other. The customer and the product maker are connected throughout the production process. The factory is becoming so smart that it can collect information, allocate production and market its products all at once and it happens on a connected platform of information.  Among Haier's 100 factories, 9 have become smart factories.

When Haier began making appliances in South Carolina back in 1999, the company was way ahead of China's going global strategy. Already it has established its foothold in Europe, North and South America, Africa and the Middle East. When China launched its Belt and Road Initiative, the company answered the call. It set up a Russian factory in one year. That is a record pace for an overseas company running a business. But it did not come easily.

ZHANG QINGFU, VICE PRESIDENT  HAIER OVERSEAS ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE INDUSTRY CO. "I admit that cultural confrontations and conflicts in management do exist in operating our overseas companies. But we have successfully integrated our culture and mechanisms into local subsidiaries which feature a combination of employee's value and the customers' value."

Haier said it has also established factories in Pakistan and India, two new members of the SCO. They are still learning how to work with local partners, learn their culture and meet their demands.  Like all Chinese manufacturers, going global may come at a price, but promises better business in the end. Zou Yue, CGTN.