Which Company Makes Hisense Refrigerators And Where They're Manufactured

Buying a refrigerator seems easy enough, as it's "just an appliance" — but is it really that simple? With kitchens being the heart of many homes, and refrigerators consuming a large chunk of that space, it gets more personal than we may realize. After all, refrigerators are one of the most frequently used appliances in the home. That's why it's worth spending a bit of time learning about these kitchen giants, including their background.

Today, we're taking a look at Hisense refrigerators, what company makes them, and where they're manufactured. Hisense fridges are made by its namesake company, Hisense, which is a Chinese consumer electronics and home appliance business that started in Qingdao, China. It launched in 1969 as a radio manufacturer before expanding to include televisions, appliances, and other types of home technology. Today, the Hisense Group of companies sells refrigerators largely under its own Hisense name, so you pretty much know what you're getting. China is core to the company's structure, and the Hisense Home Appliances Group researches, manufactures, and markets products including refrigerators, freezers, and kitchen electrical appliances, manufacturing them in at least six Chinese provinces.

As for where other Hisense refrigerators get manufactured, the production spreads past China and across several countries, including Serbia, South Africa, and Mexico, and potentially Egypt, though that connection isn't as clearly defined. 

In Europe, Serbia is a major refrigerator hub for the company, with Hisense Europe opening its third Valjev factory in 2023 to manufacture side-by-side refrigerators under the name Hisense and two other brands. At the time of its opening, the stated goal at that plant was to produce 750,000 side-by-side refrigerators annually. In South Africa, another manufacturing center for Hisense, the Atlantis factory can produce as many as 500,000 refrigerators annually, while in Mexico, Hisense signed a $260 million deal in 2021 to make smart home appliances in Nuevo León, including refrigerators and other kitchen appliances.

Egypt is a little more nuanced, but it's worth mentioning that in 2021, Hisense signed a memorandum of cooperation with Egypt's Elaraby Group, with the deal described as a $170 million investment for appliance manufacturing in Egypt. It includes refrigerators as well as televisions and air-conditioners. Hisense also has a very strong U.S. presence in Suwanee, Georgia, but it serves primarily as a Home Appliance Research Center that opened in 2022.  The 10,000-square-foot facility includes a consumer test kitchen, focus group area, showroom, media production studio, and testing rooms for appliances, including one for refrigeration. 

As for the actual range of Hisense refrigerators, the lineup is pretty broad, with configurations depending on the intended country where they'll be sold. When it comes to U.S. consumers, Hisense manufactures a wide range of full-size refrigerators in varying styles, such as French door and side-by-side, as well as compact refrigerators, freezers, wine and beverage coolers, under-counter sizes, and larger 25-cubic-foot-plus options. Hisense reaches far more than traditional American family-kitchen customers, expanding to cover scenarios such as dorm-style mini fridges, garage-ready chest freezers, and full-size upright freezers.