Chinese home appliance makers, engaged in a new battle to gain an innovative edge over their global competitors, are forging ties with technology companies to make smart home products.

Hank Electronics Co., Ltd., an HDMI and mobile accessories maker based in Shenzhen, is one of the trendsetters. The company has since made a name for itself in the manufacture and supply of smart home devices in the region, where Hank is among the preferred production partners for leading monikers such as Sony, Samsung, Skyworth, and so forth.

“We are also among the few to possess manufacturing licenses for Apple’s HomeKit in China,” Hank Marketing Director Zhou said.

From smart plugs and gateways to a variety of control switches, Hank provides an array of devices based on Z-Wave, Wi-Fi and HomeKit. “The R&D of smart home products is a major part of our technological innovation as it presses ahead with its transformation and upgrades to the global stage,” he added.

But while the size of the China market is expected to grow, “having the ability to possess an in-house, all-in-one manufacturing solution is vital to staying afloat in this competitive domestic arena,” Zhou explained.

According to a recent report by Qianjia, a website specializing in smart home appliances and artificial intelligence, the size of the smart home market in China will also expand from 15 billion yuan in 2012 to nearly 330 billion yuan in 2020.

However, looking past sheer production volume, scale confers a critical advantage: Chinese companies have the potential to establish their unique spot as OEM/ODM providers for leading international brands, including Sony, Apple, and as such.

“To establish market dominance, companies must develop ecosystems to enable the convergence of the full range of smart devices,” he said, adding that a top priority for smart home proponents should be to agree on a way to connect a system with multiple electronic devices with different brand names, designs and operating systems.

Hank’s inventory workshop is so extensive that it plays a dominant role as OEM partner for the world’s major malls and supermarkets, among which include Wal-Mart and Home Depot, two leading retailers in the United States.

Zhou also stressed that the home automation sector in general is a good match for the Chinese economy and the country's long-term development plan. "The home automation boom is offering China an unprecedented opportunity that we can't miss.”

Commenting on his overall outlook this year, the marketing executive said he is bullish about the market for the remainder of 2016, saying he expects the industry to change the way people interact with appliances and everything else that makes a house a smart home.