Haier certainly seems to be approaching the US market from that strategic perspective that can make them a dominant player in laundry and other home appliances and consumer electronics.
LG may be ‘cooler’, but a CONSUMER orientation and investment in Design (strategy and deliverables) means they will catch up.
What I find interesting is that as US manufacturers move more to offshoring and outsourcing manufacturing (and other services), Chinese companies like Haier are investing in manufacturing in the US. (Haier $30 million investment in South Carolina).
Also, Haier’s bid for Maytag may have forced Whirlpool into a poor (emotional) decision to buy. Whirlpool recently closed Maytag’s North Canton operations.
Look for parallels in other industries, particularly automotive and how Japanese business model impacted the US auto industry.