Hisense’s ambitions are grand. It seeks to become a global enterprise with a world class consumer brand. It aims to increase revenue to over $12 billion in 2010, a goal that may be attainable following the 2006 acquisition of its troubled Chinese rival, Kelon. What is different about Hisense is that although it is without question a low-cost manufacturer, it believes its core strength is not in low-cost manufacturing, but in rapid product innovation. The company believes that the only way to gain leadership in the highly competitive markets in which it competes is to continuously launch advanced, high-quality and competitively priced products. To this end, Hisense established its first R&D center in China in the mid-1990s. This was followed by a South African R&D center in 1997 and a European R&D center in 2007. The company established its U.S. R&D center in Atlanta in August 2010. In 2006, these R&D centers filed for some 534 patents.