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Haier America Reorganizes Into Three Business Units

NEW YORK –

Haier America, the North American division
of China’s Haier Group, has restructured operations
along its three core product lines.

Going forward, the company will be comprised of separate
air conditioning, white goods, and digital products
groups, led respectively by Lintao Lu, Bob Cunningham
and Douglas Lane. Each reports to Haier America president
Shariff Kan.

It is unclear whether the reorganization also included
significant staff reductions, although Haier has confirmed
that major appliances senior VP Warren Mann has left the
company. Mann joined Haier in 2007 after serving in senior
management roles at the MARTA and NATM buying
groups and Sansui Electronics.

Under the new structure, each product group will be
fully responsible for profit and loss, product development,
sales and marketing, quality control, service, compliance,
planning and purchasing.

Shared support services include finance, administration,
logistics, IT, legal, and branding and creative.

Haier said the realignment was intended to increase
sales and create a higher brand profile more efficiently.

Lu, executive VP of the air conditioning group and a 25-
year veteran of the room air business, has been with Haier
since 2003. He previously served as compact appliances and home comfort senior VP for product
innovations.

Cunningham, executive VP of the
white goods group and a 30-year veteran
of the majap industry, has been with
Haier since 2008. He previously served
as major appliances senior VP for product
innovations and engineering.

Lane, a 20-year CE industry veteran, joined the company last July and will continue
to serve as president of the digital
products group.

Haier America was formed by Michael
Jemal in 1999 as the sales and marketing
arm of Haier Group in North and South
America. The company has significant
share in the room air, compact refrigerator
and wine cellar categories; sells TVs,
laundry and full-size kitchen appliances;
and has made forays into the mobile and
portable A/V categories.

Jemal was elevated to chairman in a
2009 reorganization that allowed him to focus
on strategic planning and to work more
directly with corporate parent Haier Group.
He was succeeded as president by Kan,
who assumed responsibility for all day-today
operations.

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