Brief
Hisense celebrates three decades of manufacturing in South Africa
The company’s Atlantis factory can output up to one million TVs and 500,000 refrigerators a year and employs over 1,000 locals.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Hisense South Africa is marking 30 years in the country this October, a milestone highlighted during a media tour of its Atlantis manufacturing plant in the Western Cape, techcentral.co.za reported.
What happened
The tour, held on 7 October 2026, gave journalists a view of the production lines that assemble televisions and refrigerators for the domestic market. The plant, opened in 2013 with a R350‑million investment alongside the China‑Africa Development Fund, has a stated capacity of up to one million televisions and 500 000 refrigerators annually. By mid‑2024 the facility had produced roughly 4.5 million TVs and 2.9 million refrigerators.
What the report adds
Techcentral notes that refrigerators were exported to Europe for the first time in 2022, positioning South Africa as an export hub within Hisense’s global network. The outlet also records that the plant directly employs more than a thousand South Africans, most from nearby communities such as Atlantis, Melkbosstrand and Mamre, and supports thousands of additional jobs through its supplier and logistics chain.
What was said
"Quality assurance is built into the plant’s daily rhythm rather than treated as a periodic audit," Luna Nortje, deputy general manager at Hisense SA, told techcentral. She added that daily performance and safety checks, routine inspections and monthly testing of energy consumption and freezing capacity are standard on the refrigeration lines.
How it came about
Hisense entered South Africa in October 1996 as its first overseas subsidiary. Over the next three decades the company expanded from retailing consumer electronics to local manufacturing, after‑sales service, skills development and community projects. The skills‑transfer programme, launched when the plant opened, pairs Chinese engineers with South African staff; the first cohort trained roughly 300 local hires. Employees such as Hugh Stephens, who joined in 2013 and progressed from the production line to a mainboard repair technician, illustrate the long‑term career pathways the plant offers.
Key facts
- Hisense's Atlantis plant can produce up to one million televisions and 500,000 refrigerators per year. (techcentral.co.za)
- By mid‑2024 the facility had made about 4.5 million TVs and 2.9 million refrigerators. (techcentral.co.za)
- The plant directly employs more than 1,000 South Africans and supports thousands more through its supply chain. (techcentral.co.za)
- Refrigerators were first exported to Europe in 2022. (techcentral.co.za)
- Luna Nortje said quality assurance is integrated into daily operations. (techcentral.co.za)
Timeline
- 1996-10-01 — Hisense establishes its first overseas subsidiary in South Africa.
- 2013-10-01 — R350‑million Atlantis manufacturing facility opens.
- 2022-01-01 — Hisense begins exporting refrigerators from South Africa to Europe.
Sources
- [1] techcentral.co.za — originally reported as “30 years of Hisense in South Africa: inside the Atlantis factory”
