Which country is the creator of the Samsung company. Where is Samsung Galaxy S7 produced and assembled?

In 1938, in the small South Korean town of Daegu, a small entrepreneur who traded rice, together with his partner, decided to found a company with a starting capital of only $2,000. An enterprise called “Samson” meant “Three Stars” in translation and was created with the aim of expanding the business.

Beginning of Byong Chul Lee's business

At the beginning of the last century, Chhun Li was engaged in producing flour from rice and selling it in one of his shops. Although at that time Korea was captured by Japan, the small entrepreneur still managed to make his favorite business effective.

Then the businessman decided to organize the supply of food products, which he bought from local producers and fishermen, to neighboring Manjuria and China. For these purposes, he had to open an export company with a staff of 50 people.

Over time, the list of food products Lee exported abroad expanded significantly, since in 1939 the businessman managed to buy a small brewery. Now rice vodka and wine products began to be supplied to other countries, especially America.

Second world war had virtually no impact on the entrepreneur's trade. After its completion, the owner of the factories began to resell sewing machines, steel and plant fertilizers. Just in 1948, Lee's company received a change in its name, which now sounded American - Samsung Trading Co.

Prerequisites for the production of household appliances

In 1950–1953, a war broke out in Korea between the communist North and the pro-American South, which virtually destroyed Chul Lee's business. But thanks to the fact that the founder of Samsung did not give up and took advantage of the support of the government (the businessman was friends with the President of South Korea himself), it was possible to revive the brand from the hell.

In the middle of the last century, Samsung has been engaged in:

• textile production;
• sugar production;
• insurance business;
• fertilizer production;
• and even has its own newspaper, Joong-Ang.

Samsung Corporation began to prosper due to benefits and government orders from the government. Another interesting fact is that hospitals, schools and hotels began to be built throughout the country thanks to the support of a world-famous brand. The construction of the famous skyscraper in the UAE, Burj Khalifa, and the twin towers in Malaysia also did not happen without the support of the company.

You can also watch the history of Samsung's development in the video.

What makes a business successful?

Developed intuition and lightning-fast reaction of the company owner are precisely those qualities of a manager due to which it was possible to build and keep afloat one of the most largest brands, producing electrical equipment. And now, even 80 years after its founding, Lee’s followers are able to sense the approach of change and are improving their production by introducing new technologies.

Having determined that technology is the future, the corporation's management decides to produce refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, cameras and microwave ovens. In 1983, the first personal computer was released.

Being forward-looking managers, the government of the concern supplies equipment to America and European countries. Thus, managed to get 1/5 of the total South Korean export and become a leader, outpacing his competitor - Sony(according to British researchers, in 2005 the Samsung brand for the first time exceeded the value of the Sony corporation).

Financial indicators of the Samsung company

The total volume of products sold in 1994 amounted to over 5 billion dollars. And in 1995, goods in approximately this equivalent were exported to other countries.

As of 2017, the value of Samsung Corporation is estimated at $23.4 billion, which was achieved thanks to exports and a successful marketing policy. There has been a rapid increase in brand value over the past 10 years - by 280%.

Competitors

In 1969, the company opened a joint venture with Sanyo to produce black and white televisions. After some time, Sanyo is absorbed by its ally - the new company became known as Samsung Electronics.

Sales competitors household appliances are TM Sony, LG, Zanussi and many others. According to Forbes Global magazine, the Samsung brand in 1999 was awarded the title of the most the best manufacturer home appliances.

One of the main directions of the company is the sale of telecommunications equipment. So, 10 years ago the company's share sales of LCD TVs in the markets of Europe and North America amounted to 11.7%, which outpaced the sales of branded goods Philips, LG, TTE and Sony.

When releasing smartphones and computer equipment and the corporation competes with such famous brands as Apple, Lenovo, HTC and others. The brand's smartphones cannot boast high status, since the Vertu brand is actively occupying a position in the sale of premium gadgets.

Marketing policy of the company

After the death of Chul Lee in 1987, the Samsung concern was headed by his son Kun Hee., who decided not to focus on the scale of production. He stopped producing cheap goods that were of low quality, and began to focus on modern technologies that are ahead of their time.

The choice was made in favor of quality. And now the Kun Hee company can boast of both mass production and high technology.

Kun Hee is a real reformer who not only restructured the company, but also completely redesigned the marketing policy. Thus, to promote a product:

• the logo was rebranded (the red stars were converted into a blue ellipse with the name of the corporation);
• a large-scale advertising campaign was implemented around the world;
• Among competitive advantages, preference was given not to quantity, but to quality;
• changed the company’s mission, and also introduced the principle “do not spare money on promotion, but at the same time, spend it with maximum efficiency”;
• segmented the market into 3 categories of users (with limited, standard and increased requirements for technology);
• engaged in active support of the social sphere around the world, which increased brand awareness (the Olympic Committee, Chelsea FC and other projects are sponsored);
• began to allocate huge funds to scientific research and improvement of technical characteristics.

Brand in Russia

In 2007, during the international economic forum in St. Petersburg, a cooperation agreement was signed and eventually implemented between representatives of the Samsung corporation and the administration of Kaluga. Thus, factory buildings were erected on the territory of the regional industrial park, which are now managed by the joint venture Samsung Electronics Rus Kaluga. The plant, on an area of ​​43 hectares, launched its first workshop for the production of equipment in 2008.

Since 2009, a distribution center for the Samsung concern and a SERK plant have been operating on the basis of the Vorsino industrial park. The consolidated volume of investment in the joint venture amounted to 3.5 billion rubles.

The corporation does not forget about the social sphere, providing financial support to the Hermitage, the Olympic Committee and the Bolshoi Theater.

Samsung today

In the 4th quarter of 2016, the company's total income increased by 50% compared to the same period in 2015 (amounted to over $7 billion for the period). There is also an increase in income from the sale of smartphones Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S7.

The corporation is one of the top 5 companies that are increasing their financial potential at a rapid pace.

An impressive staff of about 150 thousand personnel, and the opening of its representative offices in 62 countries, testifies to the skillful conduct of business. It should also be noted that the brand is highly recognized, which currently stands at about 98%.

It is thanks to the success of the Samsung company that the Korean town of Suwong, where the headquarters is located trademark, now popularly called Samsung-City.

Thus, thanks to the focus on the intuition of owners and managers, modern technologies and thoughtful marketing policies, Samsung Electronics takes a leading position among well-known manufacturers of household appliances and electronics.

More than 50 interesting facts You can see about the company in the video.

In the 21st century, many companies from different countries are moving production to China and other countries with inexpensive labor force, since it saves a lot of money, and without sacrificing quality. Yes, contrary to the popular stereotype, not everything made in China is bad.

A clear confirmation of this can be the smartphones of the South Korean company Samsung, which have long been produced and assembled not only in China, but also in Vietnam.

So, what country of manufacture could the Galaxy S7 have? There are only three options:

• Korea.
• Vietnam.
• China.

And for some reason everyone wants the Korean version of the smartphone. Let's use China as an example to see why you shouldn't be afraid of assemblies from factories in other countries.

There is no need to be afraid of buying an expensive Galaxy S7 because it was made in China. Nowadays, most companies manufacture their products in the Middle Kingdom. At the same time, of course, marketers focus on the origin of the brand - Japan, Germany, USA - but tactfully remain silent about the place of production and assembly. This is done precisely because of the stereotype about the low quality of Chinese goods.

In the case of any things made in China, the rule that the more expensive the better is truer than ever. A cheap Chinese smartphone with a built-in antenna and TV, bought for a couple of thousand rubles, will most likely slow down ungodly and freeze regularly, but for a moment, remember how much it cost. And some Galaxy S7, which costs more than some people earn per month, is of excellent quality with the same assembly location.

Those who are still intimidated by “Chinese quality” should look around and wonder how many of the objects around them are made in China. Most likely, this extensive list will include a refrigerator, laptop, system unit computer with all its contents, TV, smartphone, router, speaker system, jeans, shirts, bed sheets, kettle, microwave... The list will be very, very long.

What matters is not the place where the Galaxy S7 is produced and assembled, but the fact that Samsung’s Chinese factories have strict quality control, and the production and assembly processes themselves have long been fine-tuned during the pilot launch of the model in Korea. Yes, practical Koreans first start production at home, fix all the problems, and only then send the proven and proven scheme to their own factories in China.

So, don't shy away from buying the coveted Galaxy S7 just because it comes from China. On the contrary, at the initial stages of production - in the first batches (when smartphones are assembled only in Korea), various defects, manufacturing defects, etc. are possible. And these shortcomings are corrected with each new batch - the “newer” the phone, the fewer shortcomings it has. And when the assembly moves to a plant in another country, everything is assembled there “as it should be.”

The only thing you shouldn't do is buy a copy of the Galaxy S7, but that's a conversation for.

And of course, we must remember that any other similar smartphones are either entirely produced there or assembled in other countries from Chinese components. And the place of assembly no longer matters - what difference does it make where the smartphone is assembled if it is assembled by error-free robots?

On March 1, 1938, in the South Korean town of Daegu, local entrepreneur Byong Chul Lee, who traded rice, founded a new company together with his Chinese partners in order to expand his then business. The starting capital at that time was $2000. It is from this moment that it begins history of Samsung, which means "Three Stars" and is pronounced "Samson" in South Korean.

At first, Li's organization exported rice, sugar, noodles and dried fish to China and Manchuria. Already in 1939, the company acquired a brewery, after which wine and rice vodka were added to the range.

Thanks to Byong Chul Lee's commercial sense, intuition and managerial talent, things were going very well; The staff and sales volumes increased. Even World War II could not have a significant negative impact on his business. After its completion, sewing machines, steel and fertilizers were added to the product catalog. And in 1948, Lee and his partners decided to be called the then fashionable name in the American style, Samsung Trading Co.

Korean War and years after it

Period 1950-1953 became a very severe test for the company. Its main production lines and warehouses were destroyed, and the business itself was virtually destroyed. But its creator went down in history because he did not give up and managed to achieve the impossible: Samsung was literally reborn from the ashes. It was important to find the strength to continue activities, and this could not have happened without the support of the South Korean government, which relied on large concerns (chaebols) to restore the post-war economy. Effective measures in the form of benefits, loans and government orders did their job: Samsung Trading Co became one of the leading corporations in the country.

In the 60-70s, Lee's business expanded noticeably: a powerful fertilizer factory was built, participation in the South Korean insurance system was developed, a newspaper was established; The construction of hospitals, hotels, universities and even ships also begins. And all this under a well-known brand.

Interesting fact: The construction of the Burj Khalifa tower in the UAE (the tallest building in the world), the twin towers in Malaysia and a number of other unique objects, including a large-capacity ship of the same name - all this is the merit of Samsung Corporation.

Start of production of household appliances

In 1969, the first English-language logo for the Korean monster of the global economy was created. At the same time, a division for the production of black and white televisions was opened together with Sanyo. In 1973, this partnership became fully controlled by Samsung Trading Co. and subsequently, after the transformation, became known as Samsung Electronics Corporation.

In subsequent years, their product line was replenished with the following types of goods:

• 1974 – refrigerators and washing machines;
• 1977 – color televisions;
• 1979 – video recorders, cameras and microwave ovens;
• 1983 – personal computers;
• 1991 – cell phones;
• 1999 – smartphones.

The corporation managed to become the first in Korea, accounting for a fifth of the country's total exports. In 1978, a representative office of the company was opened in America. Thus began the path to conquering world leadership.

Interesting fact: More than 70% of the concern's sales come from electronics. Today, the corporation's leading division, Samsung Electronics, is a world leader in the production of household appliances and electronics. And the Samsung Heavy Industry division, engaged in shipbuilding, occupies an honorable second place in the world.

The year 1986 was marked by the awarding of the " Best company of the Year”, as well as the release of the 10 millionth color TV. At the same time, the company's sales offices were opened in Canada and Australia, and research laboratories began operating in California and Tokyo.

Interesting fact: According to British research companies, in the summer of 2005 the total cost Samsung brand for the first time exceeded the similar cost of Sony.

History of the company's mobile line

Smartphones from this corporation cannot boast of a high price and the status of the “premium” segment of the telephone market. This place is honorable and has been occupied for a long time by the company Vertu, which almost went bankrupt. We wrote material about her

In 1994, the total volume

The corporation's sales exceeded $5 billion, and in 1995, export turnover already exceeded $5 billion.

In 1997, Samsung released a CDMA mobile phone weighing just 137 grams - the lightest in the world.

Since 1998, the corporation has occupied a leading global position in the production of LCD monitors. At the same time, mass production of digital televisions began. And just a year later, in 1999, Forbes Global magazine awarded Samsung the honorary title of “Best Household Appliances Company.”

Interesting fact: In Russia, the first Samsung production facility opened in Kaluga in 2008. An area of ​​47.3 hectares was allocated for the industrial complex. The total investment amounted to 3.5 billion rubles.

After the death of the corporation's founder in 1987, it was headed by his son Lee Kun-hee.

He revised the then concept of large-scale production of budget-quality products, focusing not on their cheapness and mass production, but on high-quality innovative products that are ahead of market trends. This decision turned out to be very successful and subsequently significantly increased the brand’s image in the world. As a result, having made a choice between quantity and quality in favor of the latter, the corporation only benefited, and now can boast of both.

Interesting fact: Thanks to the worldwide fame and popularity of the brand, the city of Suwon, where the corporation's headquarters has been located since 1973, is popularly called Samsung-City.

Video: History of Samsung Corporation in 100 seconds

Active development of supplies 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 Son Man, the president and close friend Lee Byung, who, as a wealthy entrepreneur, was part of the inner circle of the disgraced ruler. 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 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 enterprises 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 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.

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 promotion career ladder for long 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 from leading universities are now studying the change of the Samsung logo 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 2015, only the company name, written in blue, was left.

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, the 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 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), random access memory, SRAM (including for the production of video card and processor chips), liquid crystal monitors, liquid crystal and plasma TVs, mobile phones GSM, CDMA, 3G standards and with support for WiMAX, 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 Western and Western markets. 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 main production facility in the suburbs of Seoul became busy with the production of displays highest quality(of all those produced by the concern), the “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

Division structure chemical industry 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 manufacturer, has successfully transformed into a leader in the fashion industry in the South Korean market, as well as a manufacturer 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 among the top ten best hotels peace.

  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 a bank card. The terminal recognizes the field as a regular card and completes 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 award is one of the most prestigious literary awards in Russia, is 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.
  • Bolshoi 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. Samsung allocated more than $2 million for financial support from 2001 to 2001. Samsung fully finances individual projects of the 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 bribery official, close to President Park Geun-hye to obtain a government order. 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 consider Samsung 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, Samsung Republic", 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

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  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.
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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 a workshop in South Korea 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 change of the Samsung logo 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

Samsung Electronics business strategists began to think about the fact that entering the amateur photographic equipment market could bring considerable profit 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 public was presented with a relatively compact digital camera Samsung SSC-410N. 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.