History of Samsung (12): Declaration of the Customer Rights & development of new refrigerator and Agipul type washing machine: 1995

Development of the energy saver refrigerator

In January 1995, Samsung developed a refrigerator featuring an independent fridge and freezer. This innovation had the benefit of both saving energy and reinforcing the cooling system. Upon its release in Korea, it became an instant sensation. With this refrigerator, Samsung ascended to No.1 in the refrigerator market, and was recognized as the bestselling refrigerator in Korea.

Declaration of Customer Rights

Samsung Electronics declared the 95 Customer Rights in June, 1995, and announced that they will provide total customer satisfaction. The Declaration also guaranteed Samsung would act as a responsible corporate citizen. As a part of the project, Samsung lowered the price of home appliances.

Development of the world’s first Agipul type washing machine

With development of the ‘Perfect washing machine’ in 1993 and the ‘Exciting washing machine’ in 1994, Samsung began working on a new type of washing machine. Samsung came up with a new technology which they dubbed ‘Agipul’. Featuring a combination of drum and rotating washing machine technology, it provided a hand-washed feel with decreased tangling of clothes and overall reduction in damage to laundry.

With this new innovation, met with lots of favorable comments from media and customers, Samsung took the number one spot in the Korean washing machine market.

22” Large TFT-LCD panel developed

Samsung Electronics developed 22 inch TFT-LCD panel for notebook PCs in 1996. Samsung Electronics demonstrated a trial TFT-LCD in 1994 and finally released the impressive 22-inch TFT-LCD panel in October, 1995. The LCD world was stunned with the introduction of such a large panel. Samsung succeeded in developing 21.3 inch in 1996 and 30 inch in 1997, placing them as a recognized leader in LCD technology.

Samsung Giheung Plant, 100 million hours of Accident-free Operation

Through aggressive investment and management, Samsung Giheung plant, the leading semiconductor plant in Korea, operated over 100 million hours without a single accident. The Guinness Book of World Records officially listed Giheung as “the world’s safest workplace.”

*The History of Samsung Electronics

(1) Paving a New Path 1968~1970

(2) Diversification and Expansion 1971~1974

(3) Meeting Demands for Energy Efficiency 1975~1976

(4) Innovation and efficiency combine for record-beating production and export boom! (1977~1978)

(5) Suwon R&D Center Expands Knowledge Base: Samsung Semiconductor Expands Production Base 1979~1980

(6) History of Samsung (6): Entering the Global marketplace 1981~1983

(7) Semiconductor Breakthroughs and High-Profile Sponsoring 1984-1985

(8) RAM Grows as Tape Recorders Shrink, Awards Pile Up: 1986-87 

(9) Restructuring the Company to Clarify Its Purpose: 1988-1989

(10)The world’s first dual deck VCR completed and massive Chinese production begins: 1988-1992

(11)Adoption of new Corporate Identity and development of world’s first 256-mega DRAM semiconductor: 1993-1997