Chinese Hisense wants to localize the assembly of interactive displays in the Russian Federation

The Chinese TV manufacturer Hisense plans to localize the production of interactive panels for educational institutions in the Russian Federation, Kommersant has learned. This is necessary to participate in government tenders. According to Russian vendors, other Asian manufacturers are also targeting localization. Experts estimate the market for interactive panels at 11–12 billion rubles. per year, noting that the assembly of interactive panels can be located in television manufacturing plants.

Hisense is discussing with a number of Russian organizations the possibility of localizing the assembly of interactive displays in the country, Ivan Kulemanov, a member of the Korean Information Display Society (KIDS), who oversees the company’s negotiations, told Kommersant. According to him, among potential partners Hisense is considering the domestic assembly facilities of Kraftway in Obninsk, as well as the contract manufacturer of Kvant televisions.

Mr. Kulemanov explained that localization is needed to gain the opportunity to participate in tenders for the supply of interactive whiteboards within the framework of the national project “Education”. Hisense, Kraftway and Kvante did not answer Kommersant.

On the government procurement portal, by searching for “interactive whiteboard” you can find about 4.7 thousand tenders. The largest took place in 2020, when the government announced a program for digitalization of education. Thus, the department of the Sverdlovsk region held a tender for the purchase of interactive panels for 228 million rubles, and the state committee for regulating the contract system in the field of procurement of Khakassia, within the framework of the Digital Educational Environment project, held a tender for 221 million rubles.

In 2024, tenders for the purchase of interactive whiteboards continue. For example, at the end of February, only one of the Moscow schools announced a tender for the purchase of equipment worth 10.8 million rubles.

The general director of the manufacturer of domestic interactive whiteboards NexTouch, Vladimir Krikushenko, estimates the market for interactive whiteboards for schools at 11–12 billion rubles. and 40 thousand devices per year. According to him, in Moscow one lot “can be measured in hundreds of millions of rubles.”

Kommersant’s interlocutor in the professional display market says that Hisense is also considering the NexTouch site for assembly, but Mr. Krikushenko claims that there have been no official requests from the Chinese vendor. At the same time, he admits, now “a number of Asian manufacturers are looking for opportunities to use special procurement regimes introduced in the Russian Federation to sell their products without the proper degree of localization.” Vladimir Krikushenko did not specify the name.

Hisense introduced professional displays to the Russian market back in mid-2023, including interactive panels with a diagonal of 65, 75 and 86 inches, CNews reported. In addition to interactive whiteboards, TV manufacturers are also vying for inclusion in the register of Russian electronic products to receive preferences in government procurement. (see “Kommersant” dated February 29).

According to the executive director of TPV CIS (produces Philips TVs) Maria Savelyeva, the assembly of interactive whiteboards is not much different from the assembly of televisions, so theoretically, similar production can be organized at a factory for the production of TV devices. “However, testing of finished products may differ due to the presence of the touchscreen function (touch panel.— “Kommersant”),” she emphasizes.

The head of the STI Group (a contract manufacturer of televisions) Kirill Skvortsov agrees that if Hisense enters the Russian interactive whiteboard market, then in order to participate in tenders the company will have to organize production with a deep degree of localization.

Mr. Skvortsov says that the margin on the sale of interactive whiteboards is higher than when selling televisions: “Despite lower sales, an electronic board is several times more expensive than a TV, and the assembly is distinguished by the addition of additional components, such as software and a touchscreen.”

Timofey Kornev