Dong Mingzhu: Gree has no "cold winter"

"China Economic Weekly" reporter Wu Suwen 丨 Guangdong report

Gree, who enters the year, is in the "autumn of events."

This is the thirtieth year of Gree's establishment, and it is also the 10th year of Dong Mingzhu as the chairman and president. In February of this year, Dong Mingzhu was re -elected. In the next three years of chairman's term, whether it can lead Gree will go out of a new growth cycle, which is crucial to Gree's future development.

The first quarter report of 2022 showed that Gree Electric's total operating income was 35.26 billion yuan, an increase of 6.24%year -on -year; net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies was 4.03 billion yuan, an increase of 16.28%year -on -year. Compared with the results of last year's annual report, the performance in the first quarter was obviously exceeded. The company's semi -annual report is about to disclose that the market pays great attention to Gree's performance in the first half of the year.

Dong Mingzhu accepted an exclusive interview with the reporter of China Economic Weekly and bluntly said: "Now so many big companies are thunderous. At this time, I have to be calm. How to make companies live better and longer. In the self -revolution, but it is very good and lives healthily. I believe that you can see again in a few years, Gree will change again. "

"China Economic Weekly" chief photographer reporter Xiao Yan | Photo

The reform of the new retail model channel reform initial results

On July 25, after nearly two hours of interviews, Dong Mingzhu appeared in the "Pearl Feather Children's Selection" Douyin live room. In the past two years, Dong Mingzhu has a lot of enthusiasm for live broadcasts. Few entrepreneurs are so high in live broadcasts like her.

"Live broadcast is what the boss should do. It is not necessary to go every day, but it is also good to spend an hour or two to do this. That is to say, it is not possible to get grounded and high all day." The reporter said.

Dong Mingzhu has also appeared very adaptable to the identity of "with the anchor". It is reported that before the broadcast, she could do it in one go without the manuscript, and doing live broadcast was as natural as living and working habits.

Faced with the different voices in the live broadcast room, she also expressed her frank acceptance: "I live on this platform to dare to tell the truth, facing the needs of consumers through live broadcast, and science popularization. More importantly, to promote the industry and enterprises More integrity and bring responsible products to consumers. "She believes that integrity is the most important.

Dong Mingzhu was keen on the live broadcast and tasted the sweetness. Data show that from 2020 to 2021, Dong Mingzhu's national tour live broadcast and cargo, cumulative sales exceeded 50 billion yuan. During the "618" period this year, Gree's Douyin live matrix sales exceeded 40 million yuan. On June 18, Dong Mingzhu continued to broadcast live to 12 pm. The total number of fans of the three Douyin accounts of Tong Bing washed the live broadcast room has been nearly 3 million.

In fact, a small live broadcast room also reflects the changes in the product layout and marketing channels of an enterprise.

At the 2021 annual shareholders' meeting held by Gree Electric on June 7, Dong Mingzhu said: "In 1997, the home appliance market fought a price war. I created Gree's marketing model in one hand. The development of online models, in this context, Gree's marketing model needs to be reformed. "

Looking back at each channel reform, Dong Mingzhu almost ended in person.

Since 1997, in order to cope with the rise of the home appliance chain and the outbreak of the price war, as well as the mutual dumping of the first -level dealers of the large household system, Dong Mingzhu, then the Minister of Management, promoted the establishment of a regional sales company to the interests of channels and manufacturers. Binded together, and at the same time improve the rebate policy, and shift the focus of the rebate assessment index to the profit of regional dealers. Channel sinks and stacks of interests, and Gree has ushered in high -speed development in the following 20 years.

However, in the era of e -commerce, the disadvantages of in -depth binding with dealers have also appeared, and it is inevitable that the reform of new marketing channels has conflicts and even becomes resistance. In this regard, Dong Mingzhu said: "We encourage dealers to combine online and offline. If you say that I will not engage in online, I will make physical stores, and we can’t help. Because consumers have changed. "

Judging from Dong Mingzhu's statement, Gree's oversupply online sales are imperative. At the end of 2019, Gree began to change channels. It initially explored new retail through Gree Mall, and then promoted the deep integration of third -party e -commerce platforms, Gree Dongmingzhu Store and more than 30,000 offline stores. No need to bear the function of pressing the goods. Taking air conditioning as an example, Gree air -conditioning online sales accounted for 10.87%of the total sales in 2019. The proportion of the following two years increased to more than 17%, and the effect of channel reform was initially displayed.

"The industry does not have a cold winter, only the company has a cold winter"

Even though Dong Mingzhu led Gree to work hard in marketing, due to the influence of the outbreak and economic downward pressure, the entire air -conditioning industry's performance in recent years is not as good as expected, and Gree feels pressure. The annual report shows that in 2021, Gree Electric's revenue reached 187.868 billion yuan, an increase of 11.69%year -on -year, and the net profit attributable to the mother was 23.063 billion yuan, an increase of 4.01%year -on -year. This looks far from the 10%profit growth target.

Objectively speaking, under the environment of the real estate industry's depression and sluggish consumption, the situation of the entire air -conditioning industry is not optimistic. This summer, the temperature in many places reached a new high, but the sales of air conditioners did not have the "heating" as expected. The total data of Aowei Cloud's push showed that from January to June 2022, the total retail sales of air-conditioning omni-channels were 72.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 15.3%; retail volume was 21.54 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 20.9%. In May this year, Fang Hongbo, the chairman and president of Midea, estimated at a internal exchange meeting that the industry will face major difficulties in the next three years, which is an unprecedented cold winter. In order to "overwhelm winter", many companies save expenses through layoffs, salary reduction, and reduction of business.

However, Dong Mingzhu told the reporter of "China Economic Weekly": "I always think that the industry does not have a cold winter, and only the company has a cold winter. For home appliance companies, only when other people's technology exceeds you can it appear. In the case of, first, our technology in the field of air -conditioning has always been the lead. For example, the period of free repairs of household air conditioners will be raised from 6 years to 10 years. No company dares to follow; second, our reform is successful. For example, the changes in the sales model. In the past season, the dealers have to make money and press the goods. Now we don't press the goods at all. This is a huge difference. "

This confidence comes from self -confidence in its own technology, and also from the courage to dare to revolution.

As of 2021, the air -conditioning business still accounted for 70%of Gree's total revenue. Gree Air Conditioning has the right to speak in the market. According to the latest survey report released by the i media, in the first half of 2022, Gree Central Air Conditioning market size exceeded 10 billion yuan, ranking first in the industry. At the same time, Gree Central Air Conditioning has ranked first in the country for 10 consecutive years.

But the outside world mixed this. The industry believes that the air -conditioning industry has reached the ceiling, and the growth space is already small. So, does the air -conditioning business account for 70%of Gree Electric's growth?

Dong Mingzhu believes that there are currently 600 million Gree air -conditioning on the market for 10 years and more. When you change, these are the new market. "This market depends on whether your own product technology is continuously upgraded, and whether it is developed by consumers' needs. I think this is vitality."

Dong Mingzhu believed: "Even if we stand on the top of the mountain, there is still a starry sky above our heads."

This sentence is also engraved in the hearts of many Gree people.

Assistant Gree President Liu Hua quoted this sentence when he said at the Chinese refrigeration exhibition held in early August and mentioned: "Opportunities make us full of confidence and challenge us to vomit new. Gree's steps are more stable, the mission is heavier, the will is more firm, the direction is clearer, and the blueprint is more magnificent. "

Diversified disputes:

When will the second growth curve appear?

Diversity is the way Dong Mingzhu's choice for Gree Electric.

In the past 30 years, Gree has become the leader of air conditioning, and the slogan of "good air -conditioning Gree" and "Gree master core technology" is well known. In the next 30 years, Dong Mingzhu said that she hoped that the public remembered "good appliances Gree made."

She looked forward to a forum 5 years ago: "In the future, everyone blows Gree's air conditioner, uses Gree's mobile phone, eats the rice cooked with Gree rice cooker, and opens Yinlong (now it should be Gree titanium). Electric vehicles, this is the future. "

In 2016, Gree officially announced the opening of a diversified strategy and transformed into the global industrial group. Today, Gree's products are exported to more than 180 countries and regions. The consumer field covers air conditioning, refrigerator, washing machine, water heater, kitchen appliances, environmental electrical appliances, etc.; ; New energy fields cover new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and industrial energy storage.

At the China Refrigeration Show held in early August, from air conditioners to water purifiers and air purifiers, from intelligent equipment to new energy vehicle components, Gree's various new products appeared, attracting many participants to stop in consultation, to a certain extent reflected the reflection Its diversified business development.

However, the disputes around professionalism or diversification are always accompanied, especially in the context of the proportion of business income other than in the beginning of shrinking non -core business and Gree air conditioning.

Dong Mingzhu said that Gree's industrial chain is very long, and thousands of R & D teams are deeply cultivated in different fields, which is "professional diversification." "It's like cultivating children and growing up slowly. Each of us can not give up, and we must go forward. The cultivation period may take more than 10 years. But we will not be controlled by others."

In her opinion, those business that does not seem to make money now has a reason to do it.

In the field of home appliances, Gree's product line has been fully rolled out. According to the data of Aowei Cloud, the online retail sales share of Gree's electric heaters, electric fans, dehumidifiers, air energy water heaters and other products is located before the industry. two.

The controversial Gree mobile phone, Dong Mingzhu will use it to broadcast live daily, is a product that must be adhered to in her diversified layout. "This is a plan made based on the layout of Gree's entire home appliances.

Although intelligent equipment is not high in the business sector, this sector has maintained rapid growth. The financial report data shows that in 2021, the Gree equipment sector realized operating income of 858 million yuan, an increase of 42.77%year -on -year; revenue in the first quarter of 2022 increased by 45%year -on -year.

CNC machine tools are products of Gree Intelligent Equipment and are also important tools in industrial production. Since 2015, Gree has begun to study the core key technologies of CNC machine tools. Now its CNC machine tools have been exported to serve new energy vehicle companies in China, North America, and Europe. They are also widely used in automotive, mechanical manufacturing, molds, 3C electronics , Plastic and other fields. This is the product that makes Dong Mingzhu proud: "CNC machine tools do not make money, but we must do it. We have achieved independent key technologies through independent innovation. Now we have a certain right to speak for equipment, CNC machine tools, and robots. In addition to Gree's own production needs, it also formulates solutions for many companies at home and abroad, allowing us to independently develop technology to serve more users. "

In February of this year, Dong Mingzhu mentioned that several major sectors of the company have plans to split listings, such as motors, equipment and other sectors. The purpose is to shape the brand value of its category classification. This can make Gree's diversified development further.

In Dong Mingzhu's view: "Enterprises continue to develop self -revolution. We must overcome such problems every day, dare to challenge, constantly innovate, and constantly find out our shortcomings. We also have the pressure on everyone, but I think Gree lives very healthy and lives well. "

30 -year -old Gree, is it "middle -aged crisis" or another "thirty standing"? Time will give the answer.

(This article published in "China Economic Weekly" 2022, No. 15)

The cover of the 15th issue of "China Economic Weekly" in 2022

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