Changhong Meiling has suspended investment in its planned appliance industrial park project, according to a disclosure published on May 19. While the filing provides limited detail, the decision underscores the increasingly cautious stance Chinese manufacturers are taking as demand softens and capital becomes more selective.
The industrial park — positioned as part of the company’s long‑term capacity and technology roadmap — now appears to be on hold as Meiling reassesses its investment priorities. The move aligns with a broader trend across the sector: expansion projects are being slowed, deferred, or re‑scoped as brands focus on stabilising margins, tightening inventory, and improving operational efficiency.
For Meiling, the suspension may signal a pivot toward more flexible production strategies or a recalibration of its growth model amid heightened competition in refrigeration and smart home appliances. With several Chinese appliance makers already trimming capital expenditure, the pause reflects a market recalibrating after years of aggressive build‑out.
Category Archives: OEM
Home Appliance Market Faces 2026 Squeeze as Costs Rise and Demand Softens
Global appliance demand continues to cool in early 2026, with inflation, weak consumer confidence and heavy oversupply putting pressure on margins across major categories. Raw material costs — from copper to plastics — remain elevated, while manufacturers struggle to lift prices in a saturated market.
China’s retail market is forecast to fall 6.7% this year, with utilisation rates below 70% and air‑con capacity far outstripping sales. Leading brands are responding with AI‑driven product upgrades, overseas expansion and tighter cost control, but trading conditions remain challenging.
The key question for the sector: who can innovate fast enough to stay ahead in a market where supply and demand no longer align?
Homa at the 139th Canton Fair
This edition of the Fair carried particular significance.
Fresh from receiving an IF Design Award for Homa Design Magazine and launching Issue No. 8, Homa demonstrated once again that its ambitions extend far beyond manufacturing. The company is shaping the broader conversation around refrigeration innovation, design culture and the future direction of the global Major Domestic Appliances (MDA) industry.
Every year, millions of refrigerators and cooling appliances produced within Homa’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem enter homes across the world. These products — built on a foundation of quality, innovation and long-term industrial reliability — reach consumers through partnerships with many of the most respected global appliance brands.
Why do these brands continue to choose Homa?
Because the expectations of buyers searching for refrigerator manufacturers in China have evolved. Cost efficiency alone is no longer the deciding factor. Today’s partners seek innovation capability, industrial stability, food preservation expertise, design culture and strategic, long-term collaboration.
Homa represents this new generation of China-based refrigeration manufacturing: globally connected, design-driven and innovation-oriented.
This is the space where Homa continues to expand its role — evolving from a high-performance appliance manufacturer into a global platform for refrigeration innovation, OEM collaboration and product development.
At the Canton Fair, this evolution took physical form. More than an exhibition stand, Homa’s booth — introduced this year as The Homa Squares — became a genuine meeting point for the global appliance ecosystem. Retailers, distributors, sourcing managers, OEM partners, designers, product developers and industry leaders gathered not only to conduct business, but to exchange perspectives, explore market shifts and discuss the future of refrigerators, freezers and cooling appliances.
The idea behind The Homa Squares emerged from a simple but powerful insight: throughout history, the world’s great squares have never been merely physical spaces. They are cultural stages — places where people meet, ideas circulate and new directions take shape.
Homa brought that spirit to the Canton Fair, transforming its presence into a space for dialogue, discovery and shared vision — a reflection of the company’s growing influence in the global white goods landscape
Haier and Jiaxipera
Jiaxipera compressor was honored with the Strategic Partner Award at the Haier Smart Home Global Supplier Conference, recognizing our strong global delivery capabilities and technological innovation.
Jiaxipera AWE COMPONENT Award,
During AWE 2026, Jiaxipera’s flagship VNW1113Y variable speed compressor received the prestigious AWE COMPONENT Award, widely regarded as one of the highest honors in the home appliance and consumer electronics industry and often referred to as the sector’s “Oscar.” The award recognizes products that represent the highest technological standards and key innovation trends of the year.In addition, the VTL1116YL and VND3168U compressors were honored with the GOLDEN NAIL Award, one of the most influential professional awards in China’s home appliance upstream industry. This recognition highlights outstanding technical strength and proven innovation capabilities across the supply chain.
Together, these honors reaffirm Jiaxipera’s leadership in advanced refrigeration technology and its commitment to delivering high-performance, energy-efficient solutions worldwide.
Elica Closes 2025 with Modest Revenue Growth but Pressured Margins Amid Strategic Transformation
Elica has released its fourth‑quarter and full‑year 2025 results, offering a clear snapshot of a company in the middle of a major strategic shift—from a traditional range‑hood specialist to a broader cooking‑appliance player. The transition is underway, but it’s not without financial friction.
Steady Revenue Growth in a Challenging Market
For the full year 2025, Elica reported revenues of €461 million, a 1.6% increase compared to 2024. The final quarter contributed €111 million, with organic growth of 1.7%, signalling that demand held firm despite a competitive and promotion‑heavy environment.
This growth was supported by:
– Strong promotional activity across key markets
– The rollout of new product lines
– Continued investment in expanding the cooking‑appliance portfolio
Margins Under Pressure as Transformation Continues
While top‑line performance remained positive, profitability took a hit.
Elica’s EBITDA declined from €31 million to €28 million, bringing the margin down to 6%.
The company attributes this margin squeeze to:
– Heavy promotional spending across the sector
– Costs linked to launching new products
– Significant investments required to evolve from range hoods into full cooking solutions
This shift is central to Elica’s long‑term strategy, but the financial impact is clearly visible in the short term.
From Profit to Loss: A Difficult Bottom Line
The most striking figure in the 2025 results is the bottom line.
Elica closed the year with a net loss of nearly €5 million, a sharp reversal from the €2.6 million profit recorded in 2024.
The company remains confident that its transformation will strengthen its competitive position, but 2025 underscores the cost of that evolution.
What This Means for the Appliance Sector
Elica’s results reflect broader trends we’re tracking across the white‑goods industry:
– Brands expanding into full cooking ecosystems
– Higher promotional intensity as competition tightens
– Margin pressure as companies invest in innovation and product diversification
Elica’s pivot toward integrated cooking appliances positions it well for future growth, but 2025 shows that the transition phase will require resilience—and continued investment.
Homa Global Breaks Ground on First Overseas Factory in Thailand
Homa Global has officially begun construction on its first overseas manufacturing base in Chonburi, Thailand. The groundbreaking ceremony on 28 September welcomed top executives and partners, marking a major step in the company’s global expansion.
With an initial investment of RMB 680 million and a total planned investment over RMB 1 billion, the 200,000-square-metre facility will include production lines for refrigerators and freezers, a components centre, offices, and a showroom. Operations are set to begin in 2026, boosting output by 3 million units annually and creating over 3,300 jobs.
CEO Michael Yao stated, “From Zhongshan to Chonburi, from local to global — we have forged our own path.” The smart, digital factory will be fully integrated with Homa’s China headquarters, strengthening supply chains and supporting global growth.
As the world’s largest refrigerator exporter and fourth in global production, Homa continues to lead in cooling innovation, now serving over 130 countrie
Groupe Brandt Seeks Strategic Lifeline Amid Market Turbulence
The European home appliance sector is once again facing tough headwinds, and this time, the storm has reached one of France’s last-standing giants. Groupe Brandt, a century-old manufacturer and a key player in the French appliance landscape, has entered creditor protection in a bid to stabilize its finances and attract a strategic investor.
🏛️ Court-Approved Restructuring
On October 1, the Nanterre Economic Court granted Brandt’s request for protection, enabling the company to freeze its debts and continue operations while actively seeking a financial partner. Owned by Algeria’s Cevital Group since 2014, Brandt’s leadership views this move not as a retreat, but as a strategic reset—an opportunity to accelerate talks with potential investors.
Production at Brandt’s facilities in Orléans and Vendôme remains uninterrupted, and local distributor Elmax Store reports no immediate impact on its operations.
🧩 Who Might Step In?
Brandt’s portfolio includes not just its namesake brand, but also De Dietrich, Sauter, and Vedette—making it a valuable acquisition target. With 750 employees across France and a service hub near Paris, the company is far from marginal. CEO Daniele Degli Emili has already reached out to business partners, assuring them that several “serious and well-negotiated” investor options are on the table.
🌍 A Broader Industry Reckoning
Brandt’s situation reflects a deeper crisis among Europe’s traditional appliance manufacturers. Market consolidation is no longer a possibility—it’s a necessity. Chinese conglomerates have been steadily acquiring European brands: Hisense took over Gorenje in 2018, Haier absorbed Candy Hoover in 2019, and Midea snapped up Teka earlier this year. Midea even held talks with Electrolux in 2023, though no deal materialized.
📉 Electrolux and the Financial Squeeze
Even Electrolux, long considered a pillar of European manufacturing, has felt the strain. Despite returning to profitability in 2025 after a sweeping restructuring, the Swedish company reported a negative operating cash flow of $405 million in H1, pushing net debt to nearly $3 billion. Analysts now anticipate a capital injection of at least $1.79 billion via a share issue, and S&P Global Ratings has downgraded its credit score to BBB-, teetering just above speculative grade.
🚨 Industry Survival at Stake
The pressure from Asian—particularly Chinese—competitors is mounting. With only a handful of independent European manufacturers left, the industry’s future looks precarious. In a rare show of unity, several appliance makers have issued an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, warning that the very survival of Europe’s home appliance sector is in jeopardy.
BSH Home Appliances Group and ECOVACS Group enter into strategic partnership in the field of robotic vacuum cleaners
The partnership with ECOVACS is an important step for us in expanding our range of cleaning robots,” says Hendrik Kretzer, EVP Division Consumer Products of BSH Home Appliances Group. He adds: “We are convinced that the combination of our many years of experience in developing high-quality home appliances, our understanding of consumer needs, our technology and marketing expertise in the field of kitchen and built-in appliances, and ECOVACS’ innovative strength and technological expertise in robotics will create real added value for consumers. We are very much looking forward to working together and shaping the future of floor cleaning robots.”
David Qian Cheng, CEO of ECOVACS ROBOTICS, added: “ECOVACS’ mission is: Robotics for All. We are delighted to partner with BSH to bring ECOVACS’ robotics and technologies into the kitchen, creating a pioneering new category for the service robotics industry. This strong alliance is built on our shared understanding of consumer needs and commitment to high-quality products. These are two strong brands coming together who are leaders in their respective fields. ECOVACS remains dedicated to driving pioneering innovation across multi-category service robotics to better serve consumers worldwide.”
The first product to emerge from this partnership is the world’s first built-in vacuum and mopping robot from the Bosch home appliance brand, co-developed with and powered by ECOVACS robotics technologies. It is unveiled at the IFA trade fair and will be available in stores in Europe from spring 2026. It is the first system of its kind to be fully integrated into kitchen furniture. The full-service station is connected directly to the fresh water, wastewater and electricity connections and cleans both the robot and itself. From charging the robot to cleaning the service station, all processes take place invisibly behind the kitchen front. All the necessary modules fit into the sink cabinet, leaving enough space to accommodate standard waste disposal systems.
Elica acquiring stake in range cooker manufacturer
Elica S.p.A. announced the signing of an agreement to acquire a 28% stake in Steel Srl , an Italian company specializing in the production of range cookers and high-end outdoor solutions, with a progressive acquisition mechanism upon the occurrence of certain conditions.
This transaction strengthens the Elica Group’s presence in the premium cooking segment, accelerating its penetration of high-potential markets such as the United States and Canada. By October 2028, Elica will be able to acquire an additional 57%, bringing its stake to 85%.
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