Foundation: 1994

Chigo was founded in 1994 by Li Xinghao in Guangdong, one of China’s major manufacturing regions. The company initially concentrated on the air-conditioning industry and subsequently built manufacturing, research and development, and distribution capabilities around HVAC products.3

By the late 1990s, Chigo had developed a relatively integrated air-conditioning industrial chain. The company began exporting its products in 1998, expanding beyond the Chinese domestic market.4

International expansion

Chigo’s international expansion accelerated during the early 2000s. In 2001, the group began exporting air conditioners and components overseas on an OEM basis. In 2002, it began selling air conditioners internationally under the CHIGO brand and expanded its distribution network to more than 100 countries and territories.

The company also developed relationships with international corporations. For example, Chigo began cooperation with Hyundai in 2002 and later formed relationships involving companies including Vaillant, DuPont and Mitsubishi.5

Growth during the 2000s

The 2000s were an important period of technological and manufacturing expansion for Chigo. By 2006, its reported air-conditioner production capacity had reached approximately 10 million units annually, making it one of the major air-conditioning manufacturers in China.

Chigo also invested heavily in research and development. Its facilities included laboratories and specialized research organizations, while the company pursued technologies involving energy efficiency, low noise, air purification and inverter technology.6

In 2009, Chigo Holding was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with stock code 449.HK, according to the company’s historical corporate information and contemporary Hong Kong exchange documentation.7

One of Chigo’s major areas of emphasis has historically been energy-efficient air conditioning.

The company introduced its “Three Super King” (San Chao Wang) series in 2006, designed around three principal characteristics: energy efficiency, quiet operation and air purification/health-related functions. Contemporary company and exchange documentation reported particularly strong efficiency and low-noise figures for some models in this range.8

Chigo subsequently introduced several technology-oriented products:

• 2008: a “dual energy-saving” air conditioner, with the company highlighting very low standby consumption.
• 2009: triple-core smart inverter air conditioners emphasizing energy efficiency, health and quiet operation.
• 2010: antibacterial copper-ion variable-frequency technology.
• 2011: DC-inverter air conditioners emphasizing efficiency, health and quiet operation.
• 2012: the company’s Cloud AC system.
• 2015: the Smart King series.

The company’s “Cloud AC” initiative was particularly significant to its smart-appliance strategy. Chigo says that it launched its smart cloud air conditioner in 2012 and subsequently developed an ecosystem around connected air-conditioning products.

Although air conditioning remains Chigo’s defining product category, the company’s product portfolio has expanded considerably.

Residential air conditioners

Chigo offers several types of residential air-conditioning systems, including:

• Wall-mounted split systems
• Floor-standing units
• Window air conditioners
• Portable air conditioners
• Ducted systems

Its current international website also lists dehumidifiers among its product categories.

Commercial HVAC

The company also operates in commercial air conditioning. Its broader portfolio has included:

• Central air-conditioning systems
• Inverter systems
• Cassette air conditioners
• Ducted systems
• Water-cooled equipment
• Other commercial refrigeration/HVAC equipment

Chigo’s central-air-conditioning business dates back to 2002.

Other appliances

Beyond HVAC, Chigo’s corporate profile lists products and manufacturing activities involving:

• Refrigerators
• Washing machines
• Refrigeration equipment
• Air-source heat pumps
• Other household appliances

The company’s current international profile describes its production scope as covering residential and commercial air conditioning, refrigerators, washing machines, air-source heat pumps, refrigeration equipment and home appliances.2

Chigo’s manufacturing operations are concentrated in southern China, particularly Guangdong. Its headquarters are in Nanhai, Foshan, while the company has developed additional manufacturing facilities in locations including Foshan, Jiujiang and Sihui/Zhaoqing.

A newer manufacturing base in Sihui, Zhaoqing, began operation in January 2022. According to Chigo’s international profile, the facility focuses on intelligent R&D and manufacturing for residential air conditioners, commercial air conditioners and air-source heat pumps. The company says production capacity across its southern and eastern China bases exceeds 6 million sets annually.2

There is an important distinction when looking at Chigo’s published production figures: older corporate materials cite design capacity of around 10 million residential air conditioners per year, while newer materials give different figures for particular manufacturing bases. These numbers should therefore not be interpreted as one single current worldwide production figure.

International expansion has been a major part of Chigo’s business model. The company began exporting in the late 1990s and expanded both its branded CHIGO distribution and OEM business during the 2000s.4

Chigo’s current international profile states that its business covers more than 180 countries and regions. Older corporate material claimed coverage of more than 200 countries and regions, illustrating why the exact figure varies between different company publications and periods.2

In many overseas markets, Chigo products have historically been sold through local distributors, importers and OEM relationships rather than exclusively through Chigo-owned retail operations. This is an important part of understanding the brand: CHIGO is simultaneously a consumer-facing brand and a large-scale HVAC manufacturer/OEM supplier.

Chigo’s traditional positioning has centered on several themes:

1. Energy efficiency
Energy-saving air conditioning has been a recurring focus of Chigo’s product development since the 2000s.6

2. Affordable technology
The company has generally competed as a Chinese mass-market HVAC manufacturer while attempting to incorporate technologies such as inverter control, smart connectivity and air-purification functions.

3. Manufacturing scale
Chigo’s large manufacturing infrastructure has allowed it to serve both its own brand and international OEM customers.

4. Internationalization
Rather than relying solely on the Chinese domestic market, Chigo built an overseas distribution network relatively early in its history.4

5. Smart-home technology
The introduction of Cloud AC and later “Intelligent Cloud +” initiatives represented Chigo’s attempt to move air conditioning toward connected and smart-home applications.

R&D has been a significant component of Chigo’s corporate identity. The company says it established specialized research organizations and laboratories and developed expertise in areas such as refrigeration, intelligent home appliances and energy efficiency. It also established a National Postdoctoral Scientific Research Workstation in 2006 and an Academician Workstation in 2009, according to its corporate history.6

Chigo has also obtained numerous certifications for different markets, including certifications associated with China CCC, UL, CE, GS, SAA, CSA and other international standards, although the applicability of any particular certification depends on the product and market.

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One of Chigo’s more recognizable marketing campaigns involved Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan. Chigo formally signed Chan as a brand spokesperson in December 2014. In 2017, the company announced a renewed cooperation agreement and described Chan as its Chief Product Experience Officer.

The partnership was part of Chigo’s broader effort to establish a stronger international consumer brand rather than being known solely as an equipment manufacturer.

Chigo’s corporate philosophy has historically emphasized quality, service and innovation. Its stated mission has included the idea of “making life better,” while its historical corporate materials have positioned the company around creating high-quality Chinese-manufactured air-conditioning products for international markets.1

The company has also promoted environmental protection and energy efficiency as important parts of its corporate strategy.

Chigo is best understood as a large Chinese HVAC manufacturer with an international consumer brand, rather than simply as a small air-conditioner label.

Its history is notable because it combines:

• substantial Chinese manufacturing capacity;
• an extensive air-conditioning product portfolio;
• OEM manufacturing;
• international distribution;
• investment in inverter and energy-efficiency technology;
• smart/connected AC development;
• expansion into commercial HVAC and heat pumps; and
• diversification into other household appliances.

That makes Chigo somewhat comparable, in broad business structure, to other Chinese HVAC manufacturers that operate both branded and OEM businesses.

In simple terms

Chigo = a Chinese HVAC manufacturer founded in 1994, best known for air conditioners, that grew from a domestic Chinese manufacturer into an international OEM and branded-air-conditioning business.

It is not the same company as CHiQ, the smart-appliance brand associated with Changhong. CHiQ is a separate brand with a different corporate history; its international brand was established by Changhong in the 2010s.

1. Chigo Home Appliances-CHIGO
2. About Chigo|iCongo-GUANGDONG CHIGO AIR CONDITIONING CO.,LTD.
3. GUANGDONG CHIGO AIR CONDITIONING CO.,LTD.
4. GUANGDONG CHIGO AIR CONDITIONING CO.,LTD.
5. ANNUAL REPORT年報2010CHIGO • FOR LOWCARBON CI
6. Chigo History – chigo-cac en
7. CHIGO Air Conditioning Systems – Company History – CHIGO Bulgaria
8. GUANGDONG CHIGO AIR CONDITIONING CO.LTD