Which country does Samsung belong to? Samsung: whose company, which country

The history of the Samsung industrial group, one of the monsters of the modern global economy, began in 1938, then in a unified Korea. An enterprising resident of the town of Daegu, trader Byong Chul Lee, decided to expand his business and, together with his Chinese partners, founded a rice trading company. Things were going well, the company was expanding into new areas of activity, its staff was growing, and in 1948 it was decided to give the company a fashionable “American” name: Samsung Trading Co.

The beginning of Samsung - a trading post in Daegu, 1938

Semiconductors are better than rice

A real breakthrough in the history of the company occurred in 1969, when it, together with the Japanese company Sanyo, opened South Korea workshop for assembling black and white Japanese televisions. Already in 1973, a full-fledged large-scale production of various consumer electronics was established in the city of Suwon, and the joint venture came completely under the control of Samsung Trading Co and turned into the Samsung Electronics Corporation.

Having started its activities in the consumer electronics market practically from scratch, within a few years Samsung Electronics took a prominent place in it. By adopting Sanyo technology and then focusing on the production of semiconductors, the corporation eventually became one of the largest and most famous electronics manufacturers in the world.

Today it is difficult to find an industry in which Samsung divisions are not involved. Literally everything is produced under this brand: from microwaves and toasters to digital cameras and stereo systems, from cars to ocean-going ships and airplanes. In the domestic market of South Korea, Samsung Group is also engaged in financial transactions, insurance and security activities, as a result of which it forms more than 50% of the country’s total budget. Almost half a million employees work in the corporation's representative offices around the world, and the South Korean city of Suwon, where the headquarters of Samsung Electronics is located, has long been called “Samsung City.”

Lost in translation

There is no clear version of the origin of the word samsung (pronounced “samson”), but the most common version is that it means “three stars” in Korean. Perhaps the choice of name is related to the three sons of the company's founder, Byong Chul Lee, one of whom, Kun Hee Lee, currently heads the industrial group.

By the way, the company’s early logos featured the image of three stars. But in 1993, Samsung, considering the previous logo to be inconsistent with the image of an international corporation, decided to replace it. It was then that the modern emblem we are accustomed to saw the light of day - a dynamically inclined blue ellipse with the name of the company written inside. Excellent design and a large-scale advertising campaign did their job: the logo became one of the most recognizable in the world. Advertising students at leading universities are now studying the Samsung logo change as an example of an exceptionally successful rebranding.

When developing the new emblem, Eastern philosophy was not avoided. According to Samsung marketers, “the elliptical shape of the logo symbolizes global movement in space, expressing the idea of constant renewal and improvement.”

Amateur photography

Business strategists at Samsung Electronics began to think about the fact that entering the amateur photographic equipment market could bring considerable profits back in the mid-1970s. The result of this thinking was the appearance of the first Samsung camera in 1979. The SF-A model did not have a pronounced charisma: it was just a good point-and-shoot camera with a flash that anyone could use. But the company did not strive to create a technical masterpiece - main goal was the production of simple cameras for the mass consumer. And the mass consumer responded with interest, since the first Samsung cameras were inexpensive for their class, quite reliable and easy to operate.

The further development of Samsung compact cameras kept pace with the development of photographic technology: more powerful flashes appeared, motors for rewinding film, a function for automatically reading the DX code, red lights, which were credited with protecting against the “red evil eye”, finally, full-fledged autofocus and lenses with variable focal length- zooms. Having acquired all these innovations, Samsung products, however, did not particularly stand out among other cameras, but at the same time, in terms of functionality and quality, they did not lag behind the “classmate” models of leading manufacturers in this field.

When developing amateur compacts, Samsung engineers were well aware that obtaining truly high-quality images is impossible without the use of high-quality optics. But starting the production of good optical glass from scratch is an extremely troublesome task, requiring serious financial and intellectual resources. As a result, Samsung chose a different path: in 1995, it entered into a partnership agreement with the legendary German optics manufacturer Schneider-Kreuznach, whose name, printed on the lens frame, was a guarantee of quality for anyone familiar with photography. Since then, an unpronounceable combination of letters of the German alphabet has appeared on the lenses of all top models of Samsung cameras.

Of course, no one made these lenses in Germany and then screwed them onto Korean cameras. The production of branded “Schneider” optics was established at Samsung factories under license and under the strict control of the German concern. As we know, already in the digital era the Japanese followed the same path: Panasonic, which entered into an agreement with Leica AG, and Sony, which widely uses Carl Zeiss optics.

It’s interesting that in the late 1990s, Samsung tried to compete with the “five leaders” (as the group of Japanese companies leading photographic equipment manufacturers were called in those days: Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Minolta and Pentax) in the SLR camera segment, releasing its first SLR - non-autofocus Samsung SR4000 with Schneider-Kreuznach optics.

The camera turned out to be very good, with well-thought-out controls and a “handy” body, and the Schneider optical line, in addition to the standard fifty dollars, included three more lenses with variable focal length. But, despite its obvious advantages, the camera traditionally did not have any bright features, which is why it was “lost” among the copies of more famous photo manufacturers.

In the photo market, Samsung was still perceived only as a manufacturer of amateur compact cameras. Thus, at the end of the “film era” in Russia, three cameras from the Samsung model range were sold everywhere. The first, the simplest, is the Fino 40s with a 30mm fixed lens with f/4.5 aperture, flash and automatic film rewind. The second, more functional, is the Vega 700 with an optical zoom covering focal lengths from 35 to 70 mm. And the third, most sophisticated one, is the Vega 290W, the main features of which can be considered a universal zoom lens with a focal length of 28–90 mm and the ability to control shutter speed manually (bulb), which is questionable for such a camera. Agree, this is clearly not enough to be considered a serious photo producer. But, as we can now see, Samsung had everything yet to come.

Digital philosophy

“Samsung Electronics sees itself as a leader in the “Era of Revolutionary Digital Convergence”; our task is to translate this vision into reality, turning our company into a digital one - Digital-ε Company,” - this is how the essence of the Samsung Electronics philosophy is formulated on the official website of the corporation. The company began to put this philosophy into practice back in the 1990s in all areas of its activities, including the production of photographic equipment.

In 1994, the relatively compact digital camera Samsung SSC-410N was presented to the public. The camera, shaped more like a modern binocular or a small video projector, was equipped with a 1/3-inch CCD matrix with a resolution of 768 x 484 pixels, a zoom lens with an equivalent focal length of 40–120 mm and a built-in memory module with a capacity of 4 MB. However, this device went into production only in 1997, and a year before that, a compact digital camera of a more traditional design appeared in photo stores - the Samsung Kenox SSC-350N, which was also produced under the Apple and Fujifilm brands.

A CCD matrix with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels was responsible for recording images in the Kenox SSC-350N; the information was recorded on a removable memory card in SmartMedia format. Otherwise, the device was quite simple even for its time: a plastic body, a lens with a fixed equivalent focal length of 38 mm, a shutter speed range from 1/4 to 1/5000 s and the only possible photosensitivity value - 100 ISO units. But it was one of the first digital cameras costing less than $1000, so Samsung can safely be considered one of the pioneers in the production of digital photographic equipment - with the only caveat that the Kenox SSC-350N was not the company’s own development.

The model range of Samsung digital compacts, which could already realistically lay claim to commercial success, was first presented at the PMA 2002 exhibition. The 2-megapixel Samsung Digimax 230 digital compact with 3x zoom began the model line, followed by the 3-megapixel Digimax 340, followed by a little the more functional Digimax 350SE, also equipped with a 3-megapixel sensor, and the 4-megapixel Digimax 410 rounded out this list.

In October 2004, gadget lovers were happy to learn that Samsung Electronics had released the world's first camera phone with a 5-megapixel matrix resolution, and the following spring the first Korean phone with a 7-megapixel camera appeared. But with the production of cameras themselves, everything was not so great: they were improved, but still remained only one of many. In order for the Korean corporation to be talked about as a notable photo manufacturer, it was necessary to release a bright, truly innovative product. Samsung Electronics specialists began developing such a product, or rather a series of them, in 2005.

Chocolate interface

After conducting numerous market researches, the team behind the “dream camera” took three main opinions of potential consumers as a guideline:
- I don’t know anything about photography, but I still want to look professional;
- I like the thin and elegant design;
- the camera is conservative in nature.

In other words, it was necessary to create a series of technically impeccable cameras with an outstanding design, which, nevertheless, would leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that you are holding a camera in your hands.

Devotees in an Eastern way to their corporation and motivated in a Western way literally took up residence in their office and became like zombies, raving about things that no one understands. More than five hundred sketch ideas were developed, tailored to specific technical specifications; they all turned out to be quite bright, but a memorable design alone was not enough: innovative solutions were required in the very principle of camera control.

Recalling this period, the developers admit that they survived only thanks to chocolate, which they consumed in huge quantities at that time. One day, one of the “office prisoners” was sitting at his desk, staring at a chocolate bar he had started, and suddenly said: “We can make the menu navigation buttons look like a chocolate bar consisting of nine smaller pieces.” Everyone took it as a joke, but then they seized on the idea, which at first seemed to be the product of a completely exhausted imagination. This is how the principle of controlling the camera using touch buttons located along the LCD display was born, significantly different from the usual four-button joysticks used in most other cameras.

This original, completely new user interface, coupled with a beautiful, memorable design and rich functionality, allowed the Samsung NV (New Vision) series cameras to become one of the brightest new products on the photo market in 2006.

Almost in the lead

Today Samsung Electronics is one of the world's largest camera manufacturers. In 2006, the company released the first digital SLR, Samsung GX-1S, under its own name, the result of a partnership agreement with Pentax. Despite the fact that the GX-1S is almost exact copy*ist DS2 model from Pentax, its release indicates the company's intention to attract the attention of advanced amateur photographers. This became completely clear after Samsung’s debut in the semi-pro segment with the 10-megapixel GX-10 DSLR, also developed by Pentax. Amateur photographers have appreciated these efforts and are increasingly considering Korean cameras with a signature blue border as full-fledged and very competitive devices. This could not but affect the popularity of Samsung compact cameras, presented in four series.

The recently updated NV Series continues to combine high-quality, feature-rich cameras with outstanding design and innovative controls that may seem a little overwhelming at first.

The i-series is the most compact and stylish camera accessory for fashionistas, but not for people who are passionate about photography. The universal L series contains high-quality fully automatic cameras. The S-series combines both the simplest digital compacts, which do not allow much interference in the shooting process, and functional cameras with the ability to enter settings manually.

In general, Samsung's modern range of compact cameras is extremely diverse. Most cameras, despite their modest size, fit comfortably in the hand due to the presence of a characteristic protrusion. Many models are available in a classic black design, which cannot but please old-school photographers, and simply lovers of the classics or the now fashionable retro style.

Well, the main thing is that almost all cameras (with the possible exception of the i series) belong to the case where a memorable design does not prevent the device from being really easy to use and quite functional. Samsung's compact cameras have finally acquired distinct individual features: today they are difficult to confuse with any others.

10.03.2012 / 160

Interesting information about the Samsung brand. Background information about the Samsung brand.

In the 1930s in Korea, entrepreneur Lee Byung-chul opened his own business producing rice flour. A small warehouse in Daegu becomes the beginning of the great history of Samsung. At this time, Korea was a colony of Japan, and it was quite difficult to engage in private enterprise in the country. However, already in 1938, Lee managed to create the first independent channel for exports from Korea to China and Manchuria. Active development supplies food products such as rice, sugar and dried fish, made it possible to officially register trademark Samsung Trading Company. The foreign (for Korea) origin of the name was a consequence of the far-reaching, ambitious plans of the Korean entrepreneur: by the end of the 1950s, Lee Byung was going to establish trade with the countries of the American continent. And after the landing of US troops on the Korean Peninsula, the products of the plant for the production of rice vodka and beer began to be sold to representatives of the allied forces. The Korean War put an end to this business. Warehouses were looted and burned, as were the company's main factories.

There is a legend that in the ruins of a burned house, Lee Byung found a hidden box with money, which he invested in his new business. It was a textile factory, a sugar factory, and later an insurance business. Lee Byung quickly grew rich, despite the fact that the average per capita income in Korea in the 1960s did not exceed $80. It is worth noting that at that time, even in the capital, Seoul, there was no constant electricity; electricity was supplied for several hours a day, and there was no centralized water supply. It is not surprising that a quick military coup overthrew Syngman Rhee, president and close friend of Yi Byung, who, as a wealthy businessman, was part of the disgraced ruler’s inner circle. Lee Byung-chul himself was imprisoned for bribery and close acquaintance with the ousted president.

The new president of South Korea, General Park Chung-hee, began industrial and economic reforms. A program for the development of the industrial sector of the economy was developed, an increased focus on exports was supported by close relations with the United States, it was intended to take foreign loans, purchase raw materials and modern technologies, and use the profits received again to purchase raw materials and equipment. Korean reformers concluded that a stable economy should rely on large concerns, but they had to be created in as soon as possible Therefore, government credits and loans were provided to Korea's most prominent businessmen. They were provided with government orders, while certain legal and tax breaks made it possible for small businesses to grow into large conglomerates. Lee Byung-chul was among the successful entrepreneurs.

Thus, 30 large companies were created (chaebol - “money families”). Among them, in addition to Samsung, were Daewoo, Hyundai, Goldstar (LG), etc. Each “money family” had its own direction: Daewoo - automobile production, Goldstar - household appliances, Samsung - electronics, Hyundai - construction, etc. d.

The South Korean economy was growing at a rapid rate of 6 to 14% per year. The increase in exports during this period was 30%. So in 1969, when Samsung, after merging with Sanyo, began producing black and white TVs, only 2% of the population in Korea itself had them.

The merger of Sanyo and Samsung marked the beginning of one of the largest sectors of the Samsung Group - Samsung Electronics. The company managed, albeit with heavy losses, to survive economic crisis 1980s. The price of the crisis is several non-core divisions and a sharp reduction in the number of subsidiaries. With the advent of Li Gon-hee to the board, a whole range of reforms was proposed, which involved not only a complete restructuring of the company, but also a change in the very foundations of management: the company had to fully comply with the conditions of the free trade law. Proposals to change the policy regarding external investors were supposed to increase the company's attractiveness for subsidies, since the conglomerate lost financial support from the state.

Until the 1980s, shares of companies included in the concern were circulated only in South Korea, and were in fairly low demand from investors. The reason is traditionally Asian management based on the principles of Confucianism: the board was headed exclusively by representatives of the Li family. External investors had no leverage over decision-making in the management of companies. In addition, traditional management implied lifelong employment and career advancement based on years of service.

Marketing changes were introduced, a complete redesign of the company's mission and a change in its symbol. The company's first two logos featured three red stars. But Samsung management, considering the previous logo inappropriate for the image of an international corporation, decided to replace it. It was then that the modern emblem was released - a dynamically inclined blue ellipse with the company name written inside. Excellent design and a large-scale advertising campaign did their job: the logo became one of the most recognizable in the world. Advertising students at leading universities are now studying the Samsung logo change as an example of an exceptionally successful rebranding.

When developing the new emblem, Eastern philosophy was not avoided. According to company representatives, “the elliptical shape of the logo symbolizes movement in global space, expressing the idea of renewal and improvement.” These changes continued until the 1990s.

In 1983, the production of personal computers was opened.

In 1991-1992, the development of the first production of personal mobile devices and mobile telephony was completed.

Finally, in 1999, the Forbes Global Consumer Electronics Industry Award was awarded to Samsung Electronics.

One of the most important areas is the creation of LCD panels (monitors) and TV, as evidenced by the ubiquity of production. Samsung Electronics monitor manufacturing plants are located in South Korea (Suwon) (1981), Hungary (1990), Malaysia (1995), Great Britain (1995), Mexico (1998), China (1998), Brazil (1998), Slovakia ( 2002), India (2001), Vietnam (2001), Thailand (2001), Spain (2001).

In 2008, a TV production plant was opened in Russia (Kaluga region), the company assembles LCD and plasma TVs. The plant has a workshop for the production of plastic parts for the product body, but the line is not fully loaded and the bulk of the devices are assembled from imported parts (mainly made in China) (November 2008).

The main production facility in the suburbs of Seoul became busy with the production of displays highest quality(of all those produced by the concern), a “6 sigma” control system has been introduced at this enterprise. Here they develop new models, test them, create the first series of products, and after successful implementation they distribute the burden of manufacturing a new product among factories around the world. This standard has been introduced at most of the concern's factories; for example, it is a corporate strategy for the operation of the Samsung SDI division.

Most users are interested in which country Samsung is made in. The main highlight of the method, which will be described in detail below, is that any user will be able to check the country of origin of any Android smartphone, and not just the Android Samsung smartphone.

Samsung began its first manufacturing in India, opening its first plant in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, near New Delhi, in 1997. This modern complex is today the base site of the electronics giant. Mobile phones, refrigerators and LED TVs are produced here. The Noida facility is considered to be the leader among all Samsung subsidiaries in terms of obtaining maximum productivity.

To help produce its products better and faster in the southern part of the country, Samsung opened a second manufacturing complex in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in November 2007. Today, LED TVs, washing machines, refrigerators and split air conditioners are manufactured at the Sriperumbudur facility.

Displaying IMEI on the screen

To decide on the manufacturer, first we need to figure out how to display the IMEI number of your smartphone. This is a unique identifier of any gadget that cannot be replaced or faked.

To display these numbers on the screen, you need to dial the combination *#06#. Next, one or two IMEI numbers will appear in front of you, depending on how many SIM card slots are installed in the smartphone. In addition, the unique serial number of the Samsung smartphone will be displayed.

You can also view the IMEI number and serial number if your phone model is equipped with a removable battery. To do this, you need to turn off the device, remove the battery, and in its compartment there will be a sticker with these Samsung data.

What country is the manufacturer of this or that smartphone? This question concerns a large number of users. And no wonder. After all, many may not even know that the country manufacturer Samsung may vary. Thus, it was previously believed that all smartphones of this brand are assembled in China, but this is not true.

What do IMEI symbols mean?

After you have displayed the IMEI information on the screen, you need to figure out what it means. On the smartphone screen the information will look something like this: Samsung ww70k62108wd ua. The country of origin is not displayed in open form.

By the way, Samsung management claims that the quality of their products is consistently high, regardless of which country produces them.

Returning to the IMEI decoding, the user will be interested in its 7th and 8th characters. They contain information about the country of origin of this particular Galaxy smartphone.

Explanation by country

Below are all the available codes that explain in which country a particular gadget was produced:

The numbers 05 or 50 indicate that the Galaxy smartphone is manufactured in Brazil or the USA.
The number 08 or 80 means your Galaxy was made in Germany.
The numbers 00 indicate that it was manufactured in the country where it was purchased.
The numbers 01 or 10 mean that Galaxy is manufactured in Finland.
The numbers 02 or 20 indicate that it was assembled in the UAE or India.
The numbers 03 or 30 mean your phone is made in China.
The numbers 04 or 40 also indicate that the gadget was assembled in the Middle Kingdom.
Numbers 06 or 60 indicate that the Galaxy smartphone was manufactured in Hong Kong, China or Mexico.
The number 13 demonstrates that it was produced in Azerbaijan.

Let us repeat that the country of origin of Samsung does not affect the quality of a particular device. Rather, it is the personal preferences of users. But, according to numerous surveys, it becomes obvious that users still prefer to look for smartphones made in India.

If the IMEI line contains numbers not from the list above in place of the 6th and 7th characters, then the smartphone was produced in Vietnam at a partner factory. This, alas, is not the best choice, since the device may use some components from a partner factory, and not from Samsung.

Alternative method

If you do not want to find out the country of manufacture of Samsung by IMEI code, then this can be done using third-party software. For example, you can install the Phone Info Samsung program on your smartphone. It will display information about which country Samsung is manufactured on the main screen.

The named application has a very simple interface. It simply displays all the information it can extract from the device. This includes how to find out the country of origin of a Samsung phone. At the top of this list there is a section " general information", containing information about the device's country of origin, production date, and the status of the Knox counter.

The active development of the supply of food products, such as rice, sugar and dried fish, made it possible to officially register the Samsung Trading Company trademark. The foreign (for Korea) origin of the name was a consequence of the far-reaching, ambitious plans of the Korean entrepreneur: by the end of the 1950s, Lee Byung was going to establish trade with the countries of the American continent. And after the landing of US troops on the Korean Peninsula, the products of the plant for the production of rice vodka and beer began to be sold to representatives of the allied forces. The Korean War put an end to this business. Warehouses were looted and burned, as were the company's main factories.

There is a legend that in the ruins of a burned house, Lee Byung found a hidden box with money, which he invested in his new business. It was a textile factory, a sugar factory, and later an insurance business. Lee Byung quickly grew rich, despite the fact that the average per capita income in Korea in the 1960s did not exceed $80. It is worth noting that at that time, even in the capital, Seoul, there was no constant electricity; electricity was supplied for several hours a day, and there was no centralized water supply. It is not surprising that a quick military coup overthrew Lee Seung Man, president and close friend of Lee Byung, who, as a wealthy businessman, was part of the disgraced ruler’s inner circle. Lee Byung-chul himself was imprisoned for bribery and close acquaintance with the ousted president.

Samsung after the Korean War

The new president of South Korea, General Park Chung-hee, began industrial and economic reforms. A program for the development of the industrial sector of the economy was developed, an increased focus on exports was supported by close relations with the United States, it was planned to take out foreign loans, purchase raw materials and modern technologies, and use the profits received again to purchase raw materials and equipment. Korean reformers concluded that a stable economy should rely on large concerns, but they had to be created as soon as possible, so government loans and loans were provided to the most prominent businessmen in Korea. They were provided with government orders, while certain legal and tax breaks made it possible for small businesses to grow into large conglomerates. Lee Byung-chul was among the successful entrepreneurs.

Thus, 30 large companies were created (chaebol - “money families”). Among them, in addition to Samsung, were Daewoo, Hyundai, Goldstar (LG), etc. Each “money family” had its own direction: Daewoo - car production, Goldstar - household appliances, Samsung - electronics, Hyundai - construction, etc. d.

Company reform

The merger of Sanyo and Samsung marked the beginning of one of the largest sectors of the Samsung Group - Samsung Electronics. The company managed, albeit with heavy losses, to survive the economic crisis of the 1980s. The price of the crisis is several non-core divisions and a sharp reduction in the number of subsidiaries. With the advent of Li Gon-hee to the board, a whole range of reforms was proposed, which involved not only a complete restructuring of the company, but also a change in the very foundations of management: the company had to fully comply with the conditions of the free trade law. Proposals to change the policy regarding external investors were supposed to increase the company's attractiveness for subsidies, since the conglomerate lost financial support from the state.

Marketing changes were introduced, a complete redesign of the company's mission and a change in its symbol. The company's first two logos featured three red stars. But Samsung management, considering the previous logo inappropriate for the image of an international corporation, decided to replace it. It was then that the modern emblem was released - a dynamically inclined blue ellipse with the company name written inside. Excellent design and a large-scale advertising campaign did their job: the logo became one of the most recognizable in the world. Advertising students from leading universities are now studying the change of the Samsung logo as an example of an exceptionally successful rebranding.

Samsung Group financial report for 2006:

The concern's sales growth trends according to the company's annual reports:

General view of the profit distribution structure of the Samsung Group according to the report for 2006:

Area of activity of the division	Division name	Division sales, billion USD	% of total sales
Electronics industry	Samsung Electronics Samsung SDI Samsung Electro-Mechanics Samsung SDS Samsung Networks	63,4 7,15 2,58 2,26 0,598	39,90 4,50 1,62 1,42 0,38
Chemical industry	Samsung Total Petrochemicals Samsung Petrochemicals Samsung Fine Chemicals Samsung BP Chemicals	3,5 1,5 0,802 0,292	2,20 0,94 0,50 0,18
Finance and insurance	Samsung Life Insurance Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Samsung Card Samsung Securities Samsung Investment Trust Management	29,1 8,76 2,36 1,31 0,08	18,31 5,51 1,49 0,82 0,05
Heavy industry	Samsung Heavy Industries Samsung Techwin	6,83 3,095	4,03 1,95
other activities	Samsung Corporation Samsung Engineering Samsung Everland Samsung Cheil Industries The Shilla Hotels & Resorts	10,18 2,18 1,55 1,47 0,469	6,41 1,37 0,98 0,93 0,30

Companies included in the Samsung Group concern are engaged in electronics and microelectronics, chemical industry, construction, automotive industry, heavy industry, finance and credit, and insurance. The structure of the concern includes the full cycle of electronics production, starting from the extraction of resources, their processing and ending finished products. Most of the divisions of the conglomerate perform subordinate functions to companies directly involved in the manufacture of finished electronic products, and work exclusively for the concern or only within South Korea. This feature is clearly visible from the distribution of profits across divisions, thus the main income of the concern comes from the electronics industry.

Electronics industry

More than 70% of the concern's sales come from the electronics industry.

Companies in this division:

Samsung Electronics
Samsung SDI
Samsung Electro-Mechanics
Samsung SDS
Samsung Networks

The company's electronics industry divisions operate throughout the world, most of its products are exported. The breakdown of Samsung's electronics industry business by region is as follows:

The divisions are engaged in the production of hard drives (HDD), RAM, SRAM (including for the production of video card and processor chips), LCD monitors, LCD and plasma TVs, mobile phones of GSM, CDMA, 3G standards and with WiMAX support, equipment for IP -telephony, laptops, printers, MFPs, household appliances etc., the development of third and fourth generation wireless telecommunications networks, WiMAX.

Distribution of Samsung electronics industry business by technology areas:

It is worth noting the company's success in the US telecommunications market. In the third quarter of 2008, Samsung managed to take first place in mobile phone sales, ahead of its main competitor, Motorola (Strategy Analytics); in the European market, the corporation also took first place, displacing Nokia.

According to statistics from the research company DisplaySearch (Q1 2007), Samsung Electronics occupies a leading position among the leading television brands in the global market; similarly, Samsung remains in first place in the markets of Western and Eastern Europe and the North American region separately:

One of the most important areas, as already noted, is the creation of LCD panels (monitors) and TV, this is evidenced by the ubiquity of production. Samsung Electronics monitor manufacturing plants are located in South Korea (Suwon) (), Hungary (), Malaysia (), Great Britain (1995), Mexico (), China (1998), Brazil (1998), Slovakia (2002), India (2001), Vietnam (2001), Thailand (2001), Spain (2001), Russia (2008).

The head production in the suburbs of Seoul became busy with the production of displays of the highest quality (of all those produced by the concern), and a 6-sigma control system was introduced at this enterprise. Here they develop new models, test them, create the first series of products, and after successful implementation they distribute the burden of manufacturing a new product among factories around the world. This standard has been introduced at most of the concern's factories; for example, it is a corporate strategy for the operation of the Samsung SDI division.

In August 2015, Samsung launched Samsung Pay in South Korea. This tool will allow you to make payments using the brand's flagship smartphones that support NFC data transfer.

Chemical industry

The structure of the chemical industry division includes five enterprises:

Samsung Total Petrochemicals (international company, joint venture with Total Group)
Samsung Petrochemicals
Samsung Fine Chemicals
Samsung BP Chemicals (international company, joint venture with BP Chemicals)

The industry brings the concern about $5 billion a year. Samsung Total Petrochemicals is the group's largest company engaged in the chemical industry; it is a joint venture between the Samsung Group and the French company Total Group, operating in the field of energy and chemistry. The petrochemical complex consists of 15 plants located in Daesan (South Korea), which produce household chemicals, general chemicals, basic chemicals:

paraxylene
LPG, fuel

Heavy industry

There are two divisions of the concern in the field of heavy industry:

Samsung Heavy Industries
Samsung Techwin

The division brings in about 10% of the concern's profit, as it works mainly on the domestic market of South Korea; in addition, part of the export goes to the USA and China. Among the main areas of activity of this division, it is worth noting work on security structures, the development of new types of weapons, as well as construction oil and gas pipelines, tankers. Major projects include the development of the KTX2 multi-role training aircraft, the K9 self-propelled howitzer, the creation of the world's largest liquefied gas tanker and container ship Xin Los Angeles.

Construction

The construction is carried out by one company of the concern:

Samsung Engineering

The industry brings the concern about $2 billion a year. The division is engaged in the construction of offices and factories for the Samsung Group around the world, the execution of third-party orders is very rare. Among the structures developed and designed by this company, it is worth noting the head office building of the Samsung Group in Seoul, the tallest building in the world - Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates, Petronas Towers in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, Taipei 101 in Taiwan, Lakhta center" in St. Petersburg.

Light industry

Samsung Cheil Industries, a company founded in 1954 as a textile manufactory, has successfully transformed itself into a leader in the fashion industry in the South Korean market, as well as a manufacturer of chemical materials: synthetic resins (ABS, PS) and compounds for the manufacture of semiconductor displays. This company produces such fashionable Korean clothing brands as Bean Pole, Galaxy, Rogatis and LANSMERE.

Marketing and advertising

Entertainment and Leisure Industry

The entertainment and recreation industry is represented in the conglomerate by two companies:

Everland Resort is located in Yongin, a suburb of Seoul. This is the largest entertainment complex in South Korea. The Shilla Hotels & Resorts is a chain of five-star hotels operating in a strategic alliance with Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces (India). According to various travel agencies, Shilla is one of the ten best hotels in the world.

Payment system

In September 2015, Samsung launched its own payment system in the United States, Samsung Pay.
It allows you to make cashless payments using your smartphone. To implement this opportunity, NFC technologies are used simultaneously (to make a payment you need to bring the smartphone almost close to the terminal) and MST, which allows you to use the smartphone as a regular plastic card with a magnetic stripe. To achieve this, the device features innovative induction technology capable of generating a magnetic field similar to bank card. The terminal recognizes the field as regular card and executes the transaction.

Sponsorship and charity activities

Sponsorship in sports

Samsung is the owner of the Suwon Samsung Bluewings professional football team, the Samsung Lions baseball team, the Seoul Samsung Thunders basketball team, the Samsung Bichumi women's basketball team, the Samsung Bluefangs volleyball team, and the Samsung Khan pro-StarCraft team.
As part of its support for the sports movement, Samsung acts as an official sponsor of the Olympic Games, is a sponsor of the Russian Olympic team, the title sponsor of the Chelsea football club, supports the Russian Youth Olympic Team, and also organizes the Running Festival (since 1995), the Russian President's Cup golf and many other sports projects.

Support for the Olympic Movement

Samsung's involvement in the Olympic movement began in 1988 when the company became the National Sponsor of the Seoul Olympic Games. Since the Winter Olympic Games in Nagano in 1998, the company has joined the group of World Olympic Partners. The company is an official sponsor of:
- Summer Olympic Games in London in 2012;
- Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi;
- 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Samsung and Chelsea Football Club

The decision to cooperate was made in order to strengthen the company’s position in the field of telecommunications technologies in the European market.
In July 2009, the company and the football club came to a new mutual agreement. The previous agreement was valid until 2010, but it was decided to extend the agreement for another three years. According to the club's official website, the amount of the deal was increased, but exact figures were not announced.

Sponsorship in art and literature
- Literary prize "Yasnaya Polyana". Samsung acted as a co-founder of the Yasnaya Polyana award, founded in 2003. The prize winners are authors whose works awaken in readers the ideals of morality and charity. The prize is one of the prestigious literary awards in Russia, designed to support writers, followers of the morals and ideals of L. Tolstoy, the ideals of humanistic prose and poetry, which express the centuries-old traditions of Russian culture.
- Big theater . Cooperation between the State Academic Bolshoi Theater and Samsung Electronics began in 1991. Thanks to this union, a large amount of modern equipment appeared within the walls of the Bolshoi Theater, reconstruction and renovation of the theater halls and lobbies, modernization of the technical base, improvement of scenery and costumes for performances became possible. For financial support by Samsung From 2001 to 2001, more than $2 million was allocated. Samsung fully finances individual projects Bolshoi Theater. For example, the production of Verdi’s opera “Nabucco” (2001), dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the great composer, or the revival of the ballet “Carmen Suite” (230th season, 2005). For the latter, the famous choreographer Alberto Alonso was invited.
- Hermitage . The cooperation began in 1997. Samsung provides logistical and technical support to the State Hermitage.
- Center for Contemporary Culture “Garage”. Samsung is a technical partner of the Garage CSK.
Charity in Russia

To date, Samsung provides financial and logistical support to 32 orphanages and boarding schools in the Kaluga, Leningrad, Rostov, Samara, Omsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Sverdlovsk regions, Krasnodar and Krasnoyarsk regions.

Criticism

Financial scandals

In 2007, Samsung's former head of lawyers, Kim Yong-chul, alleged that he had engaged in bribery and perjury on behalf of Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee. Kim said Samsung board members were training lawyers to be scapegoats in a “fabricated scenario” to protect Lee, even though those board members were not involved in the case. Kim also told the media that Samsung "took him out of the game" after he refused to pay a $3.3 million bribe to a judge hearing a case in which two of the company's executives were found guilty. Kim revealed that the company, under the names of nearly 1,000 Samsung executives and his own, illegally opened secret bank accounts, four accounts were opened to manage 5,000,000,000 won.
In February 2017, Samsung Group CEO Jay Lee was arrested on suspicion of involvement in a major corruption scandal. Lee is accused of bribing an official close to President Park Geun-hye to obtain a government contract. Prosecutors accuse Lee of embezzlement, transfer of assets abroad and perjury. Park Geun-hye's presidential powers were suspended as a result of an impeachment vote held on December 9, 2016 in the South Korean Parliament.

Monopoly

“You can even say that the chairman of Samsung is more powerful than the president of South Korea. The Korean people view Samsung as invincible and above the law,” said Woo Suk-hoon, host of a popular online economics radio in the article Washington Post under the title "In South Korea, Republic of Samsung", published on December 9, 2012. Critics argued that Samsung squeezed out small businesses by limiting choices for Korean consumers, and sometimes colluded with other giants to set prices, intimidating those who tried to find out the truth. Lee Young Hee, a South Korean presidential candidate, said in the debate: “The government is in the hands of Samsung. Samsung rules the legal world, the press, scientists and bureaucracy."

Viral Marketing

Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission is investigating false advertising by Samsung and its Taiwanese advertising agency. The case began after the Commission received complaints alleging that an advertising agency hired students to attack competitors of Samsung Electronics on Internet forums. Samsung made an announcement on its Facebook page, in which it stated that it does not interfere with any expert reports and stops online marketing campaigns, ad writing, or replies in online forums.

Notes
1. Traditions East-West (Russian). Retrieved December 1, 2008. Archived February 5, 2012.
2. Official website Samsung Group_Philosophy of the company (Russian) (unavailable link). Retrieved November 18, 2008. Archived June 19, 2008.
3. Shin Hyun Hwak. South Korea: a difficult path to prosperity. // Problems of the Far East. - . - No. 5.
4. The 100 TOP Brands(English) . Retrieved November 18, 2008. Archived February 5, 2012.
5. Official website Samsung Group_Company symbol (Russian). Retrieved November 18, 2008. Archived February 5, 2012.
6. Case: Samsung 1993 (undefined) . Archived November 19, 2012.
7. KRW/USD (exchange rate at the time of report (January 2007): 955.18/$1; KRW/EUR: 1,199.31/€1
8. Samsung Group annual 2006(English) (unavailable link). Retrieved November 18, 2008. Archived October 16, 2007.
9. Alexander Prokhorov. Journey to the Samsung Center // ComputerPress. - 2006. - No. 12.
10. News_Bureaucrats (Russian). 2008-11-07. Retrieved December 7, 2008. Archived May 31, 2012.
11. Official site Samsung Electronics(Russian) . Retrieved November 18, 2008. Archived February 5, 2012.
12. Alexey Maksimov. Samsung: bet on production // PCWEEK. - 2003. - No. 396(30).
13. Official site Samsung SDI(English) (unavailable link). Retrieved November 18, 2008.

Slogan: Digitally Yours

Samsung Group is one of the largest conglomerates in the business world; in its homeland, South Korea, the word “chaebol” is used for such companies. Chobol is a large financial and industrial group, predominantly owned by one family and associated with government circles.

The leading division of the corporation Samsung is rightfully Samsung Electronics, a world-famous manufacturer of LCD panels, DVD players, mobile phones, memory modules used in computers, phones, players. Corporations Samsung also belong Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung SDS, Samsung Securities, Samsung C&T Corporation. Until 2000, the composition Samsung also included a unit Samsung Motors, now owned Renault.

Samsung Group was founded in Daegu, Korea, on March 1, 1938. Its founder, entrepreneur Byung-Chull Lee (1910-1987), whose starting capital was only 30,000 won ($2,000), called the company Samsung (Samsung Trading Co), translated from Korean as “three stars”, on the first logos of the company these three stars are present in different variations. One of the most plausible versions about the origin of the name says that the entrepreneur had three sons. (Judging by further development, none of the three sons turned out to be a fool, which, in fact, distinguishes the Korean fairy tale from the Russian folk tale.) This version is also supported by the fact that the company, in the spirit of many Asian companies, remained a family business, passing on and multiplying capital among the circle of relatives (and making a relative of the one who managed to enter the business and stand out: intra-clan marriages are one of the traditions of business in Asia). The entrepreneur, who, according to some sources, never received an academic degree, became one of the most famous and most respected people in Korea; a Korean analogue is named after him Nobel Prize— Ho-Am Prize, established by Samsung and awarded for outstanding achievements in the field of science and technology.

The company experienced its rebirth in 1951. After the war and predatory actions on the part of the warring parties, the business was completely destroyed, but it is impossible to destroy the entrepreneurial spirit and, starting from scratch, Byong Chul Lee revived the company, achieving even greater wealth in just a year. Whatever the entrepreneur did, his sphere of interests included: the production of sugar, wool, and other consumer goods, retail trade, insurance, radio broadcasting, publishing business, and securities trading. In the 1960s Samsung unprecedented success awaited. In order to revive the Korean economy, a policy was pursued to develop large national companies; the state subsidized, supported and helped selected corporations in every possible way, essentially creating greenhouse conditions for them, eliminating competition and giving them broad powers. To the Creator Samsung managed to get closer to government circles, which provided the corporation with unlimited opportunities for growth and expansion.

In the 1970s, Samsung entered the semiconductor market, seeing the promise of this area and the rapid development of the industry. Created Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, a company that included several smaller branches Samsung Group, engaged in electronics ( Samsung Electron Devices, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung Corning, Samsung Semiconductor and Telecommunications).

In 1969, the division Samsung — Samsung-Sanyo releases the first batch of black and white televisions. 5 years later the company begins to produce refrigerators and washing machines. After another 5 years - the release of microwave ovens and air conditioners. In 1978, a representative office of the company was opened in the USA. Having managed to become the first in Korea ( Samsung accounts for one-fifth of Korea's total exports), Samsung begins the journey to achieve world leadership. In the 1980s Samsung enters the personal computer market. In 1991, the first mobile phone Samsung, and in 1999 - the first smartphone. In 1992, the company began developing its first DRAM memory chip, then it was about a capacity of 64 MB, now chips with a capacity of 64 GB are produced. Begins in 1998 mass release digital TVs developed at the company's research center. Year after year Samsung expands its presence in the global market, maintaining leadership in sales of cell phones and televisions.

In 1993, the year of the company's 55th anniversary, an updated logo appeared Samsung— a tilted blue ellipse with an inscription inside. The new logo successfully reflected the company’s entry into the international arena, a unique bid for global leadership. Visually it seems that the word Samsung is inside the orbit celestial body, undoubtedly the corporation is a kind of universe, but at the same time this universe is open to the world, just look at the letters "S" And "G"- they are in contact with external space. One of the highlights of the logo is the writing of the letters. "A" without a dash, repeated many times subsequently, this technique still remained familiar Samsung.

Today's advanced unit Samsung Group - Samsung Electronics has become a world leader in the production of electronics and household appliances. Samsung Heavy Industries- the division engaged in shipbuilding is the second in the world. The corporation is headed by Lee Kun Hee, the son of the founder. It is to him that Samsung owes its success in the modern world, having accepted the responsibilities of the head of the conglomerate after the death of his father in 1987, Lee Kun-hee abandoned the idea of mass production of goods of low, so-called budget quality and focused the company’s efforts on the production of high-quality products that are innovative and ahead of market trends . Brand Samsung gained a lot from this decision, because those who considered the company’s products to be of insufficient quality have in recent years discovered the world of household appliances and electronics with an exceptional price-quality combination, and if we add here high level service company, then there is practically no alternative to the company’s products.