Cisco Systems has entered into a partnership with Haier, the
largest manufacturer of large home appliances in China, which will
allow the two to work together on a number of projects including
information infrastructure and home networking systems.
The partnership, announced Tuesday, will also give the companies
the opportunity to share best practices in areas such as
investments and financial management and controls, Cisco said in a
news release.
The two companies will work together on a "broad range" of
projects in China, the United States?and other markets, Cisco
said.
A Cisco spokesman in the United States declined to answer
questions about the deal, saying Cisco had "no further details to
share at this point."
Haier, the fourth-largest "white goods" manufacturer worldwide,
is working to expand its brand outside China.?With about
50,000 employees, Haier has entered the networked appliance market
in the past two years.
Haier believes it is "necessary to take advantage of Cisco's
business practices as a model for efficient international
expansion," particularly in network-reliant areas such as customer
service, Zhang Ruimin, Haier's CEO, said in a statement.
Cisco will share its experience in using networking technologies
to improve corporate competitiveness, added Thomas Lam, president
of Cisco China.
At a conference earlier this month, Cisco officials suggested
that the company plans to focus more of its efforts on the consumer
market. The company also sees opportunity in developing countries,
officials said.
(Chinadaily.com.cn September 26, 2007)
