Providing solutions through innovation
MiLi’s CEO talks about doing big business in China the right way
Long before the ubiquitous cellular phone power banks became commoditized in local gadget stores, MiLi power bank products had been in the Philippine market since 2010. One of the first few retail outlets to carry the MiLi brand was Rustan’s and Power Mac, catering to the premium gadget and tech-savvy yuppie market. On a recent visit to Shenzhen, China where the MiLi headquarters and production facilities are located, Executive Essentials talked to its CEO Harry Zhu.
Zhu is not your typical entrepreneur who grew up in China and made it big in the motherland. He and his family migrated to Norway and went back to China and founded his company, Halipower in 2003. The company became the first “Apple authorized manufacturer” in China in 2009. Subsequently, its MiLi brand was also accredited as an Apple authorized brand, and focused on Apple certified (MFi, for Made for iPad Certification) electronic devices and accessories.
We aspire to innovate and not imitate
“You can make millions of dollars by producing fake Apple accessories. Even worse, you can mix fake ones with authentic ones and make easy money. When we produce items that need to be compatible with Apple, we are required to purchase some components from them (Apple, Inc.). Some manufacturers take the short cut by faking these components and mixing them along the real ones. It may be easy money but it is not good business practice in the long run. We as a company aspire to innovate and not imitate,” explains Zhu. He was referring to how a lot of companies in China sacrifice long term gains for short term windfalls by producing counterfeit products that do not create brand val- ue for its companies.
Zhu says their company is working on a lot of products in the pipeline with companies like Apple to produce proprietary and innovative products that are app-based. It requires a lot of research and development to provide “smart” products, not just cables and power banks. His vision seems to have paid off since MiLi products are now present all over China, with more than 4,000 retail stores including 95 percent of all Apple authorized APR retail stores across the mainland. As of date, 22 different international airlines carry MiLi products worldwide including in-flight merchandise, and it has a network of over 30 sole agents around the world. In the US, big box chain stores like Best Buy and even the US Army and Air Force Exchange Services carry the MiLi brand.
Some of MiLi’s recent introductions in the Philippine market include the MiLi iData storage device, the MiLi Pure (a skin moisture reader) and the soon to be introduced MiLi Skinmate, a device that can detect and check the levels of UV in our sunlight. These innovative devices are just the tip of the iceberg, according to Zhu, who has a long list of app-based devices being developed that provide solutions to what he calls “smart living.” “It’s an overused word, but there’s no other way to describe it,” he muses. He further explains that these devices being developed can have multiple applications across different sectors.
Aside from the MiLi iData which has obvious practical applications, there is the soon-to-be-launched Skinmate can be used in the automotive and real estate sectors to check on levels of UV radiation.
“Imagine buying your favorite luxury car and you are given several options on window films from a thousand dollar to three thousand dollars. You cannot know for sure which window tint film is the better one. We cannot just assume that the more expensive one is better in screening UV radiation. The same goes for the glass window in your house or the curtain wall of your building if you are a builder or an architect. With the MiLi Skinmate, we can now test the UV levels very accurately, with and without film protection. That’s just one of the many applications we can do,” he said.
“For the MiLi Pure, a skin moisture tester, we can package it with the cosmetics industry. With this, popular cosmetic brands can stand by their claim that their skin care products are really good. The possibilities of our products can be endless.”