A smart factory in Guangzhou's Nansha District can produce up to 45,000 air conditioners (ACs) a day, meeting the surging European demand for Midea's PortaSplit units.
Priced at less than 800 euros, the self-installable, energy-efficient AC has become so sought-after that resellers are charging more than 2,500 euros for it, while shoppers in Germany have even turned to AI tools to track dwindling stocks across Europe.
Sales in France, Spain, Germany, and the UK have jumped by more than 70% year-on-year, far exceeding expectations, according to Midea engineers.
The product's appeal lies in three features tailored to European needs: tool-free installation that avoids costly professional fitting; quiet operation at noise levels as low as 39 decibels; and ultra-low power consumption of just 2 kilowatt-hours a night, supported by inverter technology and AI algorithms.
The Nansha facility, recognized by the World Economic Forum as a "lighthouse factory," was upgraded last year into an "agentic factory." It is now operated by nine AI agents that can perceive, decide, and execute tasks autonomously. When equipment fails, the system immediately reallocates production capacity; material-handling robots cut delivery times by 40% and increase inventory turnover by 25%.
AI vision inspects each unit for more than 20 defects in just six seconds. Electronic tests have expanded from 36 to 144 items, and leak rates have fallen by 70%.
The PortaSplit was designed two years ago, but early production posed challenges. After close collaboration with German R&D teams, Midea redesigned a dedicated production line, enabling the factory to handle surging global orders as capacity expansion gets underway.
Author | Jiang Chang
Photo | Nanfang Plus
