Beko Egypt White goods plant built at a total investment of $110m

Beko has placed industrial localisation at the forefront of its strategy with its first manufacturing plant in the 10th of Ramadan industrial city.

The facility, covering 114,000 square metres, will heavily rely on local suppliers, with the local content expected to reach 50-60 percent, said Umit Günel, General Manager of Beko Egypt.

“Beko Egypt’s local manufacturing drive aims to make Egypt a central hub for exporting home appliances to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with 60 percent of production allocated for export,” he told Zawya Projects, adding that the plant is projected to generate $250 million annually in export revenues.

The plant was officially inaugurated last week.

He emphasised the company’s commitment to boosting cooperation with local manufacturers of plastics, cables, and metals to deepen localisation, adding that within the first six months of operations, Beko Egypt increased its production capacity from 1 million to 1.5 million units of ovens and refrigerators annually and expanded its supplier network.

The plant, built with an investment exceeding $110 million, will focus on producing eco-friendly home appliances  designed to save water and energy in line with Egypt’s green economy goals. It is also expected to provide over 2,000 jobs for Egyptian youth, bolstering the national economy.

Günel said the facility will run on renewable energy, supporting Beko’s ‘Zero Waste’ policy. Any production waste will be recycled, with metals and other components re-evaluated for quality.

“Beko’s dishwashers, for example, will incorporate plastic parts made from recycled materials, reflecting the company’s commitment to sustainability,” he said.

The Beko Egypt official noted that, despite tough market competition, the company is ready to expand further, continuously assessing new possibilities to introduce additional products. The dishwashing segment has received fast-track approval from Egyptian authorities.

Beko, which ranks as the second-largest household appliance brands in the region and among the top ten worldwide, currently produces 65 million units annually across the globe. The company’s global operations span 58 countries with 46 production facilities in 14 countries

Whirlpool India acquires 10% of Elica’s local subsidiary

Elica announces, in a note, that it has signed an agreement that provides for “the sale to Whirlpool of India Limited” of 4.78% of the share capital of the Indian subsidiary Elica Pb Whirlpool Kitchen Appliances Private Limited (‘Elica Pb India’) together with the other Indian minority shareholders who are selling a further 4.78% stake. The agreement for the sale, the note states, was reached for approximately 8.2 million euros. “Upon completion of the transaction, Whirlpool of India Limited will hold approximately 96.81% of Elica PB India” while Elica SpA and the group of other Indian minority shareholders will remain shareholders of the Indian company with a stake of approximately 1.59% each. At the same time as the purchase of the stake, Elica Pb India will sign new licensing agreements for the use of the Elica brand in Indian territory.

Elica’s ‘castling’: triple vote to long-term shareholders

The Shareholders’ Meeting of Elica voted on an amendment to the company bylaws that grants two voting rights per share to shareholders who have held the stock for at least two years from their registration in the Shareholders’ Register and 3 rights to those who have held them for three years.

The aim, the company writes, is to “reward the long-term commitment of its shareholders and   maintain and strengthen the reference shareholder base”, in practice the core shareholders such as the Casoli family .The change in fact makes a hostile ‘raid’ or a takeover bid on the Marche-based company practically impossible.

In this period, the Elica stock is at an all-time low: around 1.7 euros compared to 5.8 in the first days of listing in 2006, and its capitalization is around 100 million euros against a 2023 turnover five times high

Investment by Haier in Thailand

The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) announced today it has approved a 13.5 billion baht (USD 400 million) investment promotion application by Haier Appliance Manufacture (Thailand) Co., Ltd., a unit of China’s Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd., to set a factory that will produce annually six million smart air conditioners and bring extensive economic benefits.

Midea to raise at least $3.5 billion in Hong Kong

Midea ‘s IPO has started on the Hong Kong stock exchange. The group’s shares were listed only on the Chinese Shenzen stock exchange, where many investors prefer not to buy. The entry into the Hong Kong stock exchange would put Midea on the same level as other large listed groups: Whirlpool or Electrolux as a group investable in electronics and household appliances. Midea is expected to raise at least $3.5 billion with this share issue. It is the largest IPO in Hong Kong since 2022.
Midea is currently valued at 432 billion yuan, 54 billion euros, nearly 12 times Whirlpool and 24 times Electrolux . The stock has grown 15% over the course of 2024.

Sabaf increased its turnover

Turnover: +25%. Margins: +47%. Best second quarter in history thanks to new plants in India and Mexico

In the first half of the year, Sabaf increased its turnover by 24.5%, reaching 143 million euros. The trend in sales and the portfolio in the coming months, the company reports to Il Sole 24 Ore , are projecting the turnover towards an all-time record, thanks to the new production units in Mexico and India and to the components for induction cooking.

Midea Group grows 10% in H1, surpasses 200 billion yuan

The first half of 2024, Midea Group ‘s revenue exceeded 200 billion yuan, reaching 218.1 billion yuan (27.54 billion euros), an increase of 10%. Even better, profits rose by 14% to 20.8 billion yuan (2.6 billion euros).

Domestic sales increased 8% while exports rose 13%. In the half year, Midea invested 7.66 billion yuan in its 17 R&D centers, up 16%, and produced 5,000 patents.

China Appliance export increase

From March 2023 to July 2024, China’s home appliance exports have achieved year-on-year growth for 17 consecutive months.
Data released by the Chinese General Administration of Customs showed that in the first seven months of this year, domestic home appliances exports totaled 409.19 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18.1%, 11.4 percentage points higher than the overall national export growth rate