Chinese brands go global not by shipping goods, but by embedding factories and R&D locally
From retail shelf battles in Berlin to a Polish factory where one Chinese face leads 50 workers, TCL embeds distribution, manufacturing, and R&D inch by inch into local markets, rather than simply exporting goods.
The argument · tap a timestamp to hear it
Entering European retail means displacing an incumbent brand
Berlin's Media Markt flagship occupies 8,000 square meters across four floors with daily foot traffic exceeding 20,000, yet stocks only 6 TV brands. TCL gained shelf space last May. New entrants must first replace an existing brand—in-store shelf space itself is scarce inventory, an entirely different challenge than launching at a trade show.
German manufacturing began as a discriminatory label, not a quality mark
Xu Mingwei recounted overlooked history: post-war, "Made in Germany" was initially a requirement other countries imposed on German exporters to identify their goods to local consumers—not the quality symbol we understand today. Germans invested in R&D for roughly 20 years before converting this stigmatized label into today's default assumption of excellence. His conclusion: "Made in China" currently signals low cost and shoddy work, but traversing the same path might take only 10 to 20 years.
— Xu MingweiTwenty-two years at the Polish factory, and only one Chinese person
Thomas is a born-and-raised Pole who joined TCL in 2004 when it acquired Thomson's TV division—fresh from graduation, he recalls feeling "curious and a bit afraid" because the TV industry sat at a technology inflection point, shifting from CRT tubes to flat screens. Today he manages a quality department of roughly 50 people across three shifts. Asked how many Chinese staff and how many locals: besides him, everyone is Polish. The factory doesn't make whole units; it performs final assembly of semi-finished goods from China (SKD mode). Last year's output: 4.9 million units sold across Europe.
— ThomasThe Polish R&D center doesn't develop products for Poland
TCL's European R&D center in Poland has 24 people, part of TCL's global network of roughly 50 R&D centers. It focuses on AI-driven picture quality and voice research—but deliverables go to China headquarters' product clusters: phones, TVs, and all global product lines draw on work from here. Location in Poland doesn't mean serving the Polish market; rather, it integrates local engineering talent into a global collaboration network. The biggest cross-cultural friction: China's fixed interpretation of requirements often misaligns with local understanding.
Establishing roots means getting into consumers' minds, not just opening stores
Zhang Guangquan, the Polish subsidiary head, describes his role as a "translator"—relaying market signals to headquarters, translating corporate strategy into local execution. His definition of rooting: letting locals move from knowing you, to being familiar with you, to understanding you, to letting you into their lives, to becoming indispensable in those lives—landing you on their mental shelf. Even if TCL stops selling a product someday, when they think of that category, TCL should be the first name that comes to mind.
— Zhang GuangquanTCL's German-speaking market ranking climbed from ninth to fifth in 19 months
Ma Jianxin moved TCL from ninth to fifth place in German-speaking markets in 19 months, replicating methods from his Spain track record. At the time, the team had no fixed office and worked one day a week; he spent three months recruiting a local sales director, mandated five-day office presence, and shifted the product mix from 75%-plus revenue relying on cheap 32-inch and 40-inch TVs to the group's flagship large-format mini-LED premium sets. The logic: if TCL ranks second or third in France, there's no reason Spain and Germany can't reach the same tier.
— Ma JianxinGerman consumers believe only in expensive-for-a-reason
Ma Jianxin calls Germany one of Europe's toughest markets. Local consumers are rigidly rational—they won't buy a TV simply because it costs 200 euros less than competitors. Instead they ask: why is yours 200 euros more? What does that premium buy? Success isn't about value-for-money; it's about clearly articulating why you cost more and whether they'll pay it. This is why TCL positioned itself as a mid-to-premium brand in German markets, not a high-value-for-money player.
— Ma JianxinOnly above ten thousand nits does the image have that searing intensity
TCL's flagship X11 TV uses mini-LED—the backlight itself doesn't emit; over 20,000 local dimming zones control light, plus a custom chip for contrast. The team stresses a brightness threshold: in the hundreds-to-thousands nit range, sunlight glints and sparks look flat; only past 10,000 nits do you get true "searing" realism. The same tradeoff extends to AI glasses: Leiniao (雷鸟) glasses hit 34 grams as the industry's lightest, but sacrificed a camera to sidestep European users' social anxiety about cameras. Weight, battery, and compute form an inescapable "deadly triangle," the team concludes.
In their own words · checked verbatim
Post-war, German goods exported to other countries had to be marked 'Made in Germany' because those other countries had this requirement for German exports.
在德国战后 这些出口到其他国家的东西 必须要打上Made in Germany 是因为其他国家对于德国出口的商品 有这样的政策
Xu Mingwei8:03
When will 'Made in China' become like 'Made in Germany'—or even exceed it—representing not just quality but innovation and creativity? I believe it won't take much time, maybe just the next 10 to 20 years.
那么什么时候Made in China 它也能变成像Made in Germany一样 或者甚至超越于Made in Germany一样 代表的不仅仅是高质量 然后还是创新创造有趣呢 我相信不会花太多的时间 可能也就是下一个10年20年的事情
Xu Mingwei9:03
In your department of 50-something colleagues, how many are Chinese and how many are so-called locals? Actually, it's just me. Everyone else—everyone—is local, all Polish.
你部门的这50多位同事 他们有多少位是中国人 多少位是所谓本地人 实际上只有我一个 全是全是本地人 全是波兰人
How do you really let local people go from knowing you, to being familiar with you, to understanding you, to letting you into their lives, to becoming indispensable? So I often say, what is rooting? Rooting is getting onto the shelf in their hearts.
你怎么能真正的 让本地的老百姓 从认识你 到熟悉你 到了解你 到允许你接入他的生活 到在生活里面离不开你 所以我经常说什么叫扎根 扎根就是 All the shelf
Zhang Guangquan26:25
When I went to Spain, we actually did have sales, but over 75% of revenue came from 32-inch and 40-inch TVs. The whole group wanted to push these larger formats.
因为当时我去西班牙的时候 我们在那其实也是有销量的 但是75%以上的销售收入是来自于32寸跟40寸 整个集团是要推这种大的这种大版
Ma Jianxin29:25
So I often ask them one question: Do you believe first and then see, or do you see first and then believe?
那就是说我经常问他们一个问题是 你是先相信再看见 还是先看见再相信吗
Ma Jianxin30:26
They don't prioritize value-for-money. They won't buy just because a product is 200 euros cheaper. Instead they'll ask: Why is your product 200 euros more expensive? What are you paying that premium for? If you can justify the premium, I'm willing to pay for it.
他们不讲究性价比 对吧 他们不会讲究说 你的产品比别人便宜一个200 我可能就会买 对吧 他们不会 他们会去看 你这个产品为什么比别人贵200欧 你贵的点 我愿意为这个点付钱
Ma Jianxin31:27
Figures
| TCL retail entry timing | last May | 4:00 |
| TV brands stocked at flagship store | 6 | 4:00 |
| Made in Germany transformation timeframe | ~20 years | 8:03 |
| Xu Mingwei's estimate for Made in China parity | 10-20 years | 9:03 |
| Thomas's tenure at Polish factory | 22 years (joined 2004) | 11:06 |
| Polish factory TV output last year | 4.9 million units | 12:07 |
| TCL European R&D center staff | 24 people | 18:21 |
| TCL global R&D centers | ~50 | 18:21 |
| Ma Jianxin's market ranking improvement | ninth to fifth, 19 months | 28:25 |
Glossary
- SKD
- Semi-finished goods assembled locally rather than importing finished units
- Nits
- Unit of display brightness; higher values indicate brighter images
- Local Dimming
- Independent control of backlight zones to enhance image contrast
- SQD
- TCL's quantum dot display technology for enhanced color performance
How to listen
Entrepreneurs and managers tracking Chinese manufacturing globalization, brand expansion, and distribution strategy—anyone wondering what goes into building global markets beyond selling goods.
16:18-18:21 English interview transcription is garbled, low information value.