Major personnel reshuffle! Yu Zhitao, President of Hisense Group, concurrently assumes the role of President of the Air Solutions Division; weak peak season—domestic air conditioner sales plummeted 30.2% in July; Yin Bitong departs Hisense Home Appliances, Zhang Wenqiang appointed as employee director

Major personnel reshuffle! Yu Zhitao, President of Hisense Group, concurrently assumes the role of President of the Air Solutions Division The Hisense Home Appliances Group Executive Meeting formally resolved to appoint Yu Zhitao, President of Hisense Group, as concurrent President of the Hisense Air Solutions Division. Yu Zhitao joined Hisense upon graduation in 1998 and has accumulated a comprehensive internal career trajectory, having served successively as R&D engineer, General Manager of聚好看 (Jukankan), President of Hisense Video & Audio, and, since 2023, President of Hisense Group. His concurrent appointment to lead the Air Solutions Division signifies direct oversight by the Group’s top leadership over the full portfolio of HVAC businesses—including residential and central air conditioning. Midea establishes Chongqing Digital Intelligent Building Company to expand into Southwest HVAC market According to Qichacha APP, Chongqing Midea Digital Intelligent Building Equipment Co., Ltd. was recently established, with Li Kai serving as its legal representative. Its business scope covers sales of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, home appliances and components, and mechanical and electrical equipment. Equity tracing reveals that the company is jointly held by Hainan Midea Building Technology Co., Ltd. and Foshan Midea Air Conditioning Industrial Investment Co., Ltd.—both subsidiaries of Midea Group. Weak peak season! Domestic air conditioner sales plunged 30.2% in July Data from Industry Online indicates that in July 2026, domestic production of household air conditioners stood at 13.158 million units, down 18.3% year-on-year; total sales reached 13.327 million units, down 18.9% year-on-year. Breaking it down: exports totaled 5.944 million units, up slightly by 1.5% year-on-year; domestic sales amounted to 7.383 million units, plunging 30.2% year-on-year. Affected by widespread rainfall across China, the traditional peak sales season turned unexpectedly cold, and terminal demand for air conditioners in the domestic market weakened significantly. Establishment of a dedicated fund: Haier ecosystem intensifies investment in brain–computer interface (BCI) industry On August 15, Yingkang Life—a health ecosystem brand under Haier Group—and the Tianjin University Brain–Computer Interaction and Human–Machine Integration Haihe Laboratory signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement in Qingdao. Leveraging the ‘Haiyi Hui’ platform, Yingkang Life opens up clinical scenarios across its affiliated hospitals. The two parties will jointly establish a BCI demonstration ward, conducting clinical pilots and technical validation targeting neurological rehabilitation and diagnosis/treatment of brain disorders. Simultaneously, they will jointly launch a dedicated BCI industry fund to accelerate research commercialization and incubate innovative projects.

Rumors suggest Yin Bitong’s position at Hisense has undergone adjustments

An industry insider familiar with the matter disclosed to China Household Electric Appliance Net that Yin Bitong may no longer serve as President of Hisense’s Air Solutions Division. Public records show that Yin Bitong is a seasoned professional manager in the home appliance and HVAC sector. He joined Midea Group in 1999 and spent 23 years there, holding key positions including Head of Domestic Marketing for Midea Air Conditioners, General Manager of Little Swan, President of Midea’s Household Air Conditioner Division, Vice President and China Zone President of Midea Group, and Co-President of Midea’s Smart Home Business Group. He played an integral role throughout Midea’s channel transformation, brand upgrading, and the acquisition and integration of Little Swan—demonstrating deep expertise in air conditioner production and sales, supply chain management, and omnichannel operations. At the end of 2022, Yin Bitong resigned from all positions at Midea Group for personal reasons, temporarily stepping away from frontline management in the home appliance industry. In May 2025, Hisense officially announced a major restructuring of its air solutions business, consolidating multi-brand operations—including Hisense, Hitachi, Kelon, York, and CuiCan—spanning household and central air conditioning into a unified Air Solutions business unit. Yin Bitong was formally appointed President of this newly formed Air Solutions Division, entrusted with full responsibility for overseeing Hisense’s entire HVAC portfolio.

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