China’s Midea dispatches 20,000 air conditioners in race to cool heat-stricken France
Europe’s lethal heatwave drives China’s appliance giant to sprint production and slash delivery times
To speed up output, Midea doubled capacity to 6,000 portable air conditioners per day by opening a new production line on July 7, completing manufacturing of all 20,000 units in just three and a half days, the Foshan, Guangdong-based firm said in a statement on Monday.
The company added it prioritised the French order with manpower and production capacity, even as its factories ran at full tilt to meet domestic demand.
Portable air conditioners by Midea, the world’s largest home appliance maker, have been in high demand as Europe grapples with record-breaking heat linked to more than 10,000 deaths in June.
Management instructed supply chain and production teams to “spare no expense to ensure timely delivery”, including costly air and high-speed rail transport for components in short supply, according to a factory manager at Midea’s portable air-conditioner factory in Wuhu, in China’s central province of Anhui.