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www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
1
VOL 2, #5, July 2012, No. 20
Midea Carrier JV Teams Come To Town
The First-Ever Meeting Of Joint Venture Managers From Around The World
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
2
Midea
Advances Newsletter
Contents
NEWSLINE
PAGE 8-9
New Graduates Enjoy Midea
Training Camp PAGE 8
FEATURE
Midea Carrier Chile An-
nounces Joint Venture at Ex-
po Frio Calor HVAC Fair in
Chile PAGE 13
Midea CAC and Darwish
Trading Hold Seminar On
MDV Systems in Qatar PAGE 9
NEWS BRIEFS
Midea’s Full-DC Air Condi-
tioners Pass China’s New
Energy Efficiency Trial PAGE 3
Midea Residential AC Col-
laborates with Schools to
Hunt for New Talent PAGE 4
Midea Donates 30 million
RMB to Fight Against Poverty
in Guangdong PAGE 17
An Interview with Berenice
Hleap: Being The Owner Of
Your Life PAGE 14
Midea Advances Newsletter is published monthly
by the International Strategy Department of MARS.
We welcome all comments, suggestions and con-
tribution of articles, as well as subscribing our
newsletter. You can reach us at: advanc-
Midea Air-Conditioning & Refrigerator Sector
Add.: Midea HQ Building, No.6 Midea Ave, Bei-
jiao, Shunde, Foshan, Guangdong P.R.C. 528311
Tel: +86-757-2360 4714
Fax: 86-757-2660 5455
Web: www.midea.com
Publisher: International Strategy Dept.
Managing Editor: Mandy Wang
Editor: Matthew Smith
Correspondents:
Miranda Shen
Zhenkui Cai
Peck Zhao
Tony Miao
Amber Liu
Sue Ou
MIDEA IN THE COMMUNITY
IN FULL FORCE
PEOPLE
Intelligent Manager of Midea:
The Future of Automation is
Here PAGE 11
TECH SPOTLIGHT
2012 1H JV Conference at
the Midea Headquarters in
Shunde, China PAGE 7
Midea CAC Introduces The
New Digital Scroll D4 Plus in
Pakistan PAGE 10
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
3
NEWSLINE
Midea’s Full-DC Air Conditioners Pass
China’s New Energy Efficiency Trial
T his month, the China Quality Certification Centre
(CQCC) announced
that all of Midea’s full
-DC inverter air con-
ditioners became the
first to pass its long-
term energy saving
tests for air condition-
ers.
CQCC’s chief,
Xia Jianjun, stressed
that the New Energy
Efficiency Trial
(NEET) should be
distinguished from
the past lab-based
evaluation because
this one is conducted
under the real-world
conditions.
Over the past years, home air conditioners won most
awards for energy efficiency over other household applianc-
es.
However, there is a catch to this: “Even though the current
energy efficient A/Cs can reach national efficiency ratings
of Levels I and II (there are four levels, ranking from high
to low: I, II, III and IV), those A/Cs are tested only in la-
boratories. To remedy
this, CQCC recently
published and imple-
mented a policy to re-
evaluate product ener-
gy ratings so that
companies will finally
consider real-world
usage when designing
their products.”
The NEET is a more
advanced and com-
prehensive assess-
ment tested under
stringent conditions.
The old evaluation
system still exists, and
in fact is used as a
first-stage prerequisite
for products before the NEET may be applied for.
Chen Weisheng, Vice-President of China National
Electric Apparatus Research Institute (CNEARI) told re-
porters that evaluations for Midea’s full-DC inverter A/Cs
are conducted by the Hainan Qiong Sea, under high tem-
perature, humidity and corrosion-prone conditions. The
whole process lasts for a month, consisting of comprehen-
Wu Wenxin, representing Midea RAC, receives the long-term energy tests
approval certificate.
Wu Wenxin is giving a speech to explain features of Midea’s full
DC A/C that enables it to pass the long-term energy saving tests.
Xia Jianjun is providing the definition for China’s
New Energy Efficiency Trail.
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
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T his month, Midea Residential AC’s Operational and Human Resources Department joined together with schools to
organize the 2012 2H Collaboration Seminar. Representatives from the Residen-
tial AC division in Shunde and Guangzhou joined more than 70 representatives
from 23 colleges at the seminar.
Vice Director of RAC Ops & HR, Zhang Wenchi, gave a welcome
speech providing detailed information about RAC and its collaboration initia-
tives. Zhen Xuezhi, representative from the Guangzhou factory, also introduced
Midea’s history, organizational structure, and corporate cultures, expressing
Midea’s growing demand for excellent technical staff, and the competitive living
and working conditions that Midea provides for its employees.
During the seminar, more than 10 school representatives expressed
their desire to develop closer ties with Midea, paving the way for matching up
China’s brightest young talents with one of the world’s fastest-rising stars.
NEWSLINE
Midea’s Full-DC Air Conditioners Pass
China’s New Energy Efficiency Trial (cont.)
sive tests relating to energy efficiency, product life, and
operational performance in harsh environments.
“Midea is the first company whose products have
passed this strict long-term energy efficiency assessment,
and received the national authority approval in respect to
energy efficiency,” Wu Wenxin from Midea’s Residential
A/C division claimed, “It is a significant milestone for
Midea.”
In June, high energy consumption home appliances,
especially air conditioners, were finally included in the new
Green Appliances Subsidies program. In this program,
subsidies ranging from 180-400 RMB will be given out for
these appliances, in order to further promote and encour-
age the adoption of energy efficient products.
87 of Midea’s full-DC inverter A/C models have been
selected to be in the new Green Appliances Subsidies pro-
gram and Energy Efficient Home A/C Promotion Direc-
tory published by the China National Development and
Reform Commission. Those A/Cs account for 67% of
Midea’s Level I and II A/Cs which applied for this evalua-
tion.
Today, the NEET has been listed as one of CQCC’s
major programs. The CQCC will collaborate with leading
companies in the industry to promote this evaluation as a
top industry standard and index for government procure-
ments and consumer purchases.
Chen Weisheng gives more details for the long-term energy saving tests.
Midea Residential AC Collaborates with
Schools to Scout for New Talent
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
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NEWS BRIEFS
Full Range of Midea Inverter Air Conditioners Listed in National
Energy-Saving Project
2012’s Residential Air Conditioner List in the China National Energy-
Saving Project shows Midea’s entire portfolio of inverter air conditioners
ranking in leading positions amongst other industrial companies. These in-
clude all three brands (Midea, Little Swan and Hualing), consisting of 143
models in total, all recognized as energy-saving products. Subsidies for such
air conditioners are available, and reach as high as RMB 400 in initial sav-
ings. The National Energy-Saving Project, designed to benefit the country’s
citizens, was jointly started in 2009 by the China NDRC (National Develop-
ment and Reform Commission), the MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Infor-
mation Technology) and the Ministry of Finance. It offers subsidies for 10
categories of energy efficient products, aiming to promote energy conserva-
tion and emissions reduction.
Midea Receives Three Awards at China’s Electronics and Appliances
Service Festival
This month, the 2012 China Electronics and Appliances Service Festival
was grandly inaugurated at the Beijing New Metropolis Hotel. At the festi-
val, Midea Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Group racked up the Award
of Pioneer Enterprise, the Award of Outstanding Enterprise and the Spe-
cial Award of Merit.
Explosion in E-Commerce for Midea Air Conditioning
After its great success with T-Mall in May, Midea continued the mo-
mentum by partnering with Jing Dong Mall (also known as 360Buy Mall)
for another big sales event in June. On the first day, more than 1,000 AC
units were sold in just half a day, breaking Jing Dong Mall’s sales record.
Midea’s e-commerce has rapidly expanded in 2012, such that e-commerce
sales for the first half of 2012 have already eclipsed figures for all of 2011.
Washing Machine Division holds the 12th Annual Badminton Competition
When the Washing Machine Division employees aren’t competing with the industry, they’re competing against each
other in some friendly badminton. On July 14th, they held their 12th employees’ badminton competition in Wuxi, with
support from the Wuxi factory and the local badminton club. Amateur players from each department stepped up to test
their mettle against each other. There were men’s and women’s singles and doubles, in addition to some mixed men and
women competition. Fifteen employees were chosen to judge their peers, and professional badminton judges were also
invited to participate, in order to ensure fair and professional conduct. This continuing annual competition is great for
employees to strengthen their social bonds with each other, and it has proven popular, as seen from the consistently
rising participation count with each competition.
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
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NEWS BRIEFS
FEATURE
Midea Art Troupe Puts On Show For RAC-Guangzhou
On July 17th, the Guangzhou factory of Midea Residential Air Condi-
tioning Division arrived at work to a surprise: the Midea Art Troupe was
back again to put on a show for them, despite the hot summer weather.
Their last performance for the Guangzhou factory was in May, two months
ago. Just after the end of everyone’s lunch, performers from the art troupe
arrived on stage, located outside the factory, to complete decorations for the
stage and to rehearse. The performance itself kicked off at five in the late
afternoon, to the delight of over 600 staff who enjoyed a fantastic view,
sitting at the front of the stage, taking in yet another generous performance
given by this group of highly-talented individuals.
M idea CAC and the China National Insti-
tute of Standardization (CNIS) held a ceremony at
Midea Headquarters this month, to celebrate the suc-
cess of CAC’s products in CNIS’s rigorous new Ener-
gy Efficiency Standard testing. CNIS has recently
undertaken a project to establish a new energy effi-
ciency standard which is called China's Energy Effi-
ciency Label and Testing Laboratory Data Consisten-
cy Test (CEELTLDCT).
The results for Midea CAC products were a
full pass for each product, indicating that CAC’s
products utilize outstanding technology and excellent
quality. As a result, Midea is currently the sole supplier of
VRF products which have passed this test and can claim
to meet this new, demanding standard.
Mr. Tian Mingli, CEO of Midea CAC Division, has
announced that Midea CAC will make persistent effort to
move ahead and strive for greater achievements. “We will
offer quality products to satisfy the increasing demand of
customers, and promote the consistent and healthy de-
velopment of the market.”
Midea VRF Products Become Sole Bearer
of CNIS Project Certification
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
7
FEATURE
2012 1H JV Conference at the Midea
Headquarters in Shunde, China
O n a very sunny 10th of July, executives from the
four major Midea-Carrier joint ventures arrived at the Midea
headquarters in Shunde, China, most having recently flown
from different corners of the world to be there together.
This meeting of JV managers was the first of its kind,
bringing in key figures from their respective markets so that
techniques could be compared and strategies coordinated,
and management in the head office could be apprised of
each market’s situation in order to construct a “big picture”
perception of
Midea’s quickly-
evolving global
business.
The first
day’s schedule
was relatively
relaxed, perhaps
sympathetically,
serving as an
introduction to
China and the
Midea headquar-
ters, for those
who had never
been there be-
fore. The JV
teams, from Fo-
shan Midea Car-
rier China, Midea Carrier ABC JV (Argentina/Brazil/Chile),
Miraco (Egypt), and Carrier Midea India, all introduced
themselves, and then the Midea headquarters team ex-
plained the itinerary for the coming days, followed by tours
and dinner at the Ramada hotel’s Lipper Restaurant.
The next two days were jam-packed with discussions in
specific groups relating to sales and marketing, finance, op-
erations, and human resources, after which the participants
enjoyed the delicious local cuisine for which Shunde is fa-
mous.
The last day of the JV conference, July 13th, started
with a morning of factory tours, where interested conference
members were given the opportunity to take a close-up look
at Midea’s local microwave and air conditioner production
facilities, located not far from the headquarters. Executives
from the JVs marveled at the advanced level of automation
and cleanliness in the factory, as well as the excellent working
conditions for employees working alongside the lines. Ban-
ners of encouragement and inspiration were hanging from
the ceilings, and rest areas with ample seating, vending ma-
chines and
reading mate-
rial were locat-
ed in central,
easily-
accessible are-
as.
The afternoon
then brought
everyone back
together at the
headquarters
for a final
business re-
view meeting
with the CEO
of Midea Air-
conditioning
and Refrigera-
tion Sector, Paul Fang, where everyone had a chance to ex-
press opinions and concerns, after which Mr. Fang himself
aired his own thoughts to the room, expressing a message of
appreciation and confidence in the JV teams, for handling
the joint venture transitions so smoothly, and persevering
through difficult situations, such as the revolution in Egypt,
so remarkably well.
After this final meeting, everyone gathered for a fare-
well banquet dinner, recounting to each other the events of
the previous days, and discussing what the bright-looking
future might hold.
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
8
FEATURE
New Graduates Enjoy Midea Training Camp
T his year, Midea developed a new Grad-
uates Training Camp for recent university gradu-
ates, organized by the Midea College, and
launched at the Shunde Polytechnic College,
where it lasted from July 11th to 15th. Vice Presi-
dent of Midea College, Li Wenge, inaugurated the
camp by discussing the basic aspects of its mis-
sion.
The training camp is divided into three
stages, with the first stage organized by Midea
College, with Midea Air-conditioning and Refrig-
eration Sector, Household Appliances Sector and
other sectors assisting. Secondary industry groups
led the second stages, with the cooperation of
other business units, with a focus to build the
skills of the graduates. The third stage was led by the different business units, aiming not only to enhance
and strengthen graduates’ skills, but to help them with their
career planning.
Training typically consists of three parts: Theory Train-
ing, Team Building and Recreation. Theory Training deals
with topics such as Midea’s history and culture, an overview
of human resources policies, work ethics and values. Team
Building consists of “outward social development” activities,
while Recreation includes the welcoming party, a basketball
tournament and several evening parties.
Camp participants were separated into 18 groups
during the outward social development activities, in which
they were given exercises that teach how to better communi-
cate, cooperate, and coordinate with each other. At the end
of the outward social development part,
new employees placed a huge “@Midea”
logo on the green grass, providing Midea
with this special gift in return for the valu-
able training experience.
During the graduate evening party, an
awards ceremony was held to honor out-
standing participants and teams. Ten were
honored for their performance and Group
#13 was awarded the best team in overall
performance.
Midea Art Troupe performs in the evening party to welcome new employees.
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
9
FEATURE
Midea CAC and Darwish Trading Hold
Seminar On MDV Systems in Qatar
O n a typically hot June day in Doha, Qatar, the
Darwish Trading Company’s ACVR division organized a
conference offering a decidedly cooler focus, with the new
Midea MDV commercial air conditioners being introduced
to a crowd of approximately
200 contractors, construction
material suppliers, consultants
and building owners from all
over Qatar.
The presentations began
with the general manager of
Darwish, Dr. Saleh Chehade,
expressing that while offering
the MDV was a tremendous
undertaking, the standards of
quality that Darwish has always
provided would not be im-
pinged, indeed, the company
would strive to be even better
than ever.
Midea itself was represent-
ed at the conference by sales
manager Patrick Zhang, who
explained more about Midea as
a company, and the concept of
Midea’s MDV product. Partici-
pants at the presentation were particularly impressed with
points made about Midea’s strong R&D investment, partic-
ularly in respect to the MDV series, and many found the
company’s track record of after-sales service to be very
reassuring.
Midea’s technical engineer from the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) markets, Nick You, discussed the global
market for VRF to the participants, followed by touching
on many benefits of choosing a VRF system: “The most
important point is the rise of the VRF in the past two dec-
ades, especially in the last six years due to such features as
the high efficiency, superior aesthetics, high comfort, flexi-
bility of design and installation. “It is the fastest developing
product among all types of A/C systems,” he said.
Midea’s own MDV line does very well against VRF
competition, with its 12.4% share in China as a prime exam-
ple of Midea’s product superiority.
The digital scroll concept in the VRF system was ex-
plained in detail to the participants, along with other general
features of the VRF system on which Midea’s MDV is
based. The newest and most advanced MDV units, which
will launch next month, are the D3 and the D4. Thanks to
improvements in user-friendliness, design flexibility, noise
level and ease of transportation, there is an unprecedented
amount of excitement building about Midea’s MDV series
in this region now.
Midea and Darwish Trading officials at the seminar.
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
10
FEATURE
Midea CAC Introduces The New Digital
Scroll D4 Plus in Pakistan
P akistan’s Orient Energy System Ltd.’s HVACR
division held a seminar at its
new headquarters building in
Karachi, on July 16th, with the
introduction of the new Digi-
tal Scroll D4 Plus series VRF
as the focus. The seminar at-
tracted a healthy attendance of
around 40 consultants, con-
tractors, construction devel-
oper, and building owners
from the southern area of the
country.
Ali Abbasi, Application
Manager of Orient Energy
System, expressed to everyone
that his company was excited
about Midea’s new technology, allowing them to provide
the highest quality products and excellent service, while
maintaining strong sales figures.
Elvis Liu, General
Sales Manager for
South Asia, introduced
the Midea Group and
Midea Commercial Air-
Conditioner for every-
one present, and ex-
plained in detail sub-
jects including Midea’s
progressive R&D in-
vestment policy, the
MDV product develop-
ment, and support on
marketing, service and
technical support, all of which motivate customers to be
more passionate and confident to promote Midea CAC
Products. Midea is not only an equipment supplier, he
stressed, but also aiming to be a comprehensive HVAC
solution provider.
The most important topic of these seminars is the
launching of D4 Plus Series digital scroll VRF (this July),
which adopts the most ad-
vanced technologies, with
the industry’s most reliable
and patented digital scroll
compressors + simplified
electric control. It comes
with 5 models ranging from
8 to 16 HP, free combina-
tion up to 64HP output. Due
to such improvements as
user-friendliness, flexible
designs, lower noise level,
easy transportation, there has
been a considerable interest
and confidence in VRF
products among customers, he
said. The 4th generation network control system which
names IMM (intelligent manager of Midea) also attracted
full attention of the attendees by its powerful management
functions and web access possibility using laptop/tablet
computer/
smartphone via both
LAN and Internet.
This seminar
supplies a profession-
al stage for Midea to
present products and
policy to the custom-
ers, but also the great
chance for market
and product infor-
mation sharing. Midea
gained very good feedback from the attendee, came to an
agreement that with our collaboration, both customers &
Midea will success, all of us can gain more together.
Ali Abbasi, Application Manager of Orient Energy System
Midea and Orient Energy System Company officials at the seminar
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
11
Intelligent Manager of Midea:
The Future of Automation is Here
TECH SPOTLIGHT
T his month, we look at an interesting piece of
newly developed tech from Midea, the IMM (Intelligent
Manager of Midea)
The IMM is a managing system for V4+ outdoor
units. It consists of three parts: the IMM upper com-
puter software, the M-interface web gateway, and the
V4+ outdoor unit refrigerant system. The IMM upper
computer software can connect as many as 4 M-interface
gateways, meaning a total of up to 64 refrigerant systems
and 1024 indoor units, which would satisfy most project
requirements. The IMM has key functions such as cen-
tralized control for air-conditioning units, energy saving
and electric quantity partition.
New Features
Energy Saving Management
The IMM administrator can control every aspect, as
such as temperature, fan speed, limits, operating mode,
and so on.
Schedule Control
4 sections and 10 actions can be configured per sec-
tion, per each day, for each single unit or group. IMM au-
tomatically performs facility start/stop procedures, switch-
ing operating modes, setting temperatures and enabling/
disabling the remote control access, according to fully-
configurable daily schedule privileges.
Visual Navigation
Administrators can import photos or AutoCAD
drawings, as an aid to directly control the corresponding
IDU on an electronic map, making operation management
more convenient. Import the floor plane graph, and add
the air-conditioner indication pictures in any space, letting
the user easily control the air-conditioners for the entire
building.
Warning Message*
If an error occurs, it will be noted with a warning
message. The system is able to send warning messages to
designated mobile phone number automatically via public
phone lines.
*The optional ‘SMS Modem’ from Midea is required for
this feature.
IMM Web Interface
IMM Visual Navigation
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
12
Intelligent Manager of Midea:
The Future of Automation is Here (cont.)
TECH SPOTLIGHT
Main features of M-interface
User friendly operation
Visual Navigation
Individual/Group control of up to 256 indoor units,
64 outdoor units per Interface.
Built-in web server for PC-independent manage-
ment and remote access control
SD Card Data storage (lasts 3 months)
Emergency Stop function
Local (LAN) control/ Long-distance remote control
(VPN, DSL)
Various Management
Electricity charge apportionment
Items Contents Remarks
Monitoring Monitor the air-conditioner status (Maximally 1024 sets
indoor units)
Small load operation monitor-ing
Indication for cleaning filter
screen
Connected devices quantity need to meet
the following at the
same time: Maximally connect into
64 refrigerant systems
and maximally 1024 sets indoor units
Setting/Manage-
ment
Account management Single A/C control
Group A/C control
Scheduling management Device navigation management
Display Device name, Group name Display air-conditioner running
status
Measure-ment
Device running time accumula-tion
ON/OFF times accumulation
Ammeter reading
Energy-saving
Temp. locked, Mode locked
Remote
insert
IMM client-side software re-
mote insert
WEB remote insert
Output Electric quantity reports output Operation records output
History running records output
Send messages
Send messages need to match up with messag-
ing device and rented
network
Storage Data storage
E-STOP Input emergency stop signal Stem node
Complete IMM system layout
Technical Specifications
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
13
IN FULL FORCE
Midea Carrier Chile Announces Joint Ven-
ture at Expo Frio Calor HVAC Fair in Chile
C hile’s “Expo Frio Calor” international HVAC exhibition, opened last month from June 7th to 9th, with the partic-
ipation of more than 50 exhibitors and the sponsorship of many important industry organizations, such as the Green Build-
ing Council, and the Government Environment Ministry.
Midea MDV 4+ exhibition
“For the first time in Chile, an exclusive international
fair for the HVAC industry has been organized, and in very
little time more than 75% of the spaces were sold. This is a
clear sign of the important
growth the industry has experi-
enced in recent years”, said Ben-
jamin Peña Isla, Marketing &
Commercial Manager of Midea
Carrier Chile.
“Midea Carrier Chile is one
of the three components that
make up the joint venture be-
tween Midea and Carrier in
South America, the others being
Argentina and Brazil, and the fair
was the perfect moment to for-
mally announce this major development to our clients and
the market as a whole.”
“We are very excited about the new opportunities that
come together with the joint venture. Carrier has been oper-
ating in Chile since 1996, our people have deep knowledge
of the market, and now as Midea
Carrier, we are stepping forward
into a new level through the in-
troduction of the Midea brand
and new product lines for our
clients”, comments Roberto Cas-
arejos, General Manager of Midea
Carrier Chile.
During the exhibition, more than
6,000 people visited the Midea
Carrier stand, and had the oppor-
tunity to learn from Midea Carri-
er representatives about the new
product launches from the three brands managed by Midea
Carrier: Midea, Carrier and Toshiba.
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
14
IN FULL FORCE
Midea Carrier Chile Announces Joint Venture
at Expo Frio Calor HVAC fair in Chile (cont.)
Tango Exhibition
Tango
Nova
New Elite
Window
For the Midea brand, the new products for the residential market were the Tango and Nova (portables), New Elite (hi-wall)
and the Window (WRAC).
As the Chile market is more driven by the commercial sector, due to its mild weather and the continuous growth of the
VRF segment, it could be said that one of the main attractions of the fair was the launch of the Midea MDV 4+.
By all accounts, the fair was very successful, not only quantitatively, but also judging from the highly positive feedback
from clients and partners. This exhibition is one of the first milestones for Midea’s introduction in Chile, and additional pro-
motional events will be announced in the near future.
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
15
PEOPLE
An Interview with Berenice Hleap:
Being The Owner Of Your Life
W ith more than 20 years of work experiences, Berenice Hleap, Finance Director for Midea Carrier ABC JV, worked for Autolat-
ina and Ford in Brazil before joining Carrier. During the time she worked for Carrier, she received an opportunity to work in the Carrier WHQ
in New York for about three years. Her overseas work experience gave her multiple perspectives and a better understanding of how to excel in a
multinational company like Midea Carrier ABC Joint Venture. This month, I had the chance to sit down with Berenice and ask about her pro-
fessional accomplishments and adventures. Unlike other formal interviews, this was a conversation where both of us could exchange ideas and
thoughts, like a conversation between two friends. ‘Bere’ is a confident, independent and elegant lady. Despite the two short conversations we had, I
felt I learned much from her about both work and life.
You visited Shanghai when first coming to China in 2005 for a Carrier factory tour. Now that you’re back, and
visiting the Midea WHQ in Shunde this time, what are your impressions compared to your first visit?
[Shanghai and Shunde] are different. I didn’t have a chance
to see much until [the tour] yesterday. Shunde is bigger than I
thought”. Since Berenice had an intensive schedule in the
past few days, she didn’t have a chance to look around Shun-
de, and other cities in Guangdong. But she said that next
time when she came, she would definitely walk around and
get to know the city more.
You are in the midst of a successful and exciting
career that you’ve worked hard to build for yourself. For
young women just beginning their careers, what sort of
advice would you give them about how to proceed?
It is very hard to have everything in life. Sometimes you have
to make choices. My choice was to focus on my career. Nothing comes for granted. Sometimes you win, but sometimes you
lose. The facet of your life, you focus on one thing; the facet, you focus on other thing. If I have to give an advice: try to
balance everything. It is hard. But try to balance as much as you can. Sometimes the prices are high for all the decisions you
made. But it is never late for you to change your mind. If you think
you take a route, and this doesn’t make you happy. You shouldn’t be
shame to go back and start over again.
Many women will eventually feel compelled to put their
career aside to stay at home and raise a family. There is also the
tendency for women to develop their careers in-line with where
the husband’s career is. It must have required much bravery to
resist these pressures and relentlessly follow your passion.
There is no such a thing of being brave. I have my own insecu-
rities. And sometimes I am wondering whether I took the right deci-
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
16
PEOPLE
An Interview with Berenice Hleap:
Being The Owner Of Your Life (cont.)
sion that I shouldn’t be. Shouldn’t I be home having anoth-
er life. The point is working for a big corporation, this envi-
ronment fits me. I need this. This makes me happy. I don’t
regret on the decisions I made. But sometimes I would also
wonder how my life would be if I had decided something
different in the past.
I saw many expatriate coming and going. I also have
this chance myself. I had a chance in the past when I
worked for FORD. I denied. So I always had this in my
mind. So another chance came in 2004, so I discussed with
my husband. We both decided together this would be very
good for me, and he totally supported me. But he couldn’t
join because he had his own career. So I went by myself.
Sometimes you have to make tough decisions that most of
the people thought that I was doing something wrong, leav-
ing my husband behind, my family behind, and worked for
three years by myself in the U.S.
It is great that you and your husband made the
decision together, and that he supported your desire to
do this. At some point you reach a balance.
Yes. It is. My husband knows that how those are im-
portant to me. How my career is important to me. How
being the owner of my own life is important to me. So he
supported me. This is not a decision I took by myself.
I like that phrase – ‘the owner of my own life.
I like to have the feeling that I can walk on my own
feet that I don’t depend, not emotionally, emotionally of
course, we depend on other people. But mainly financially, I
can survive on my own.
Let’s switch tracks a bit. Through this recent
joint venture in South America, you’ve suddenly found
yourself with a new family, in a corporate sense. As
you’ve become familiar with Midea since the JV began,
what has impressed you about this company, and what
aspects of Midea could be improved upon?
It is still a begging of my career in the JV. The integra-
tion has been a challenge. The culture is different, the lan-
guage sometimes is the problem, and the time difference is
something that we have to manage too. Sometime when you
are sleeping, we are working and the opposite as well. I think
this meeting--face to face interaction can enhance our com-
munication. I think the exchange of having someone there
could help a lot. And I see that you can tell most of the pro-
cess Midea has are very local. This meeting is going to be an
exchange. We are coming from Carrier, which we are all used
to the global process. So I think we need to exchange.
The differences between the Chinese culture in
Midea’s head office and the cultures in its overseas of-
fices might make for difficulties. What would you sug-
gest for Midea to help its global employees work closer
together as one team?
Exchange of employees, having people from local and
international could help a lot. Chinese staff can help us with
the communication, and to understand the culture, and the
opposite is also very good. To bring people in. If you spend
1-2 years here, you can better understand the culture of the
company. When you go back, you can help the company
spread the culture in the international businesses. To some
extension, it is not just one way, but both ways would help a
lot.
www.midea.com Midea Advances Newsletter, July, 2012
17
PEOPLE
An Interview with Berenice Hleap:
Being The Owner Of Your Life (cont.)
Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share about being a part of the Midea family now?
I enjoy the time working with Midea people. I have no complains to say. They are accepting me very well. They are
always listening to what I have to say. They value my experiences. I think they respect me a lot. When you start a relation-
ship, we respect, everything works well. I really think that one year from now; we are going to be much better shaped. It is
going to take a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of patient for us to get together to make this JV works.
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me, Bere. I really enjoyed this.
It was my pleasure. I hope we may meet again soon.
In the next issue of ADVANCES, we will talk to another executive from one of the Midea Carrier joint ventures. Be sure to check it out!
MIDEA IN THE COMMUNITY
Midea Donates 30 million RMB to Fight
Against Poverty in Guangdong
L ate last month, on June 30th, the Guangdong Provincial Committee and Government held its annual Guangdong
Poverty Alleviation ceremony. Committee and government officials were on hand to honor those who have been actively ded-
icated to the effort of reducing poverty in Guangdong. Even during the ceremony itself, donations from generous groups and
individuals were being collected.
Midea was represented at the ceremony by Huang Xiaoming, a vice president of Midea Group, to show Midea’s support
for the fight against poverty. Beginning in 2011, Midea Group took a leading role in organizing various charity activities and
social welfare, for the Poverty Alleviation ceremony, Midea Group donated 30 million RMB, to enhance the reach of the pov-
erty reduction program. Donations from companies and people who are enthusiastic about this cause will continue to support
those from poor villages, helping as many as 300,000 people relocate to new villages, and installing new public infrastructure
and child welfare institutions for existing poor villages.