Hisense celebrated the fourth birthday of its factory in Atlantis, Cape Town on 5 June. The milestone coincided with two others: the millionth TV and millionth fridge units rolled off the production line on the same day.
The Hisense facility in Atlantis has over 500 full-time employees, and produces 1,500 televisions and 1,200 fridges a day during an 8-hour shift.
This translates to an average output of one fridge every 22 seconds, and one TV every 20 seconds.
Hisense added that its production can be scaled up in periods of greater demand, such as peak shopping seasons.
TVs manufactured at the facility include LED, DLED, ELED, ULED, and Smart television sets, with screen sizes ranging from 32-inch to 85-inch.
There are currently seven different fridge models being produced at the factory, with plans in place to manufacture more high-end units.
The South African market is supplied from the factory, along with exports to 13 other African countries.
Challenges
The head of manufacturing at Hisense South Africa, Albert Li, said the volatility of the rand-dollar exchange rate is the single biggest challenge they have to deal with.
“So much planning is dependent on a stable exchange rate,” said Li.
“While there are other local challenging factors at play, the management team have put in place the necessary strategies to deal with it. To date, the stability at the facility has been a major success story for Hisense.”
