History of Samsung Electronics (3): Meeting Demands for Energy Efficiency (1975~1976)

Econo TV developed with “Instant reception” function capability

Another burst of growth for Samsung came from the burgeoning home electronics business. The first came from EconoTV in April 1975. Econo TV has an instant reception feature, reducing energy consumption. The oil crisis in 1970s made energy saving products more appealing to customers.

Samsung sold 34 thousand TVs in December 1975 and 746 thousand TVs in 1978. With this success, Samsung recorded 40.9% of market share in Korea to take the leading position in electronics sales.

Production of energy-efficient High Cold refrigerator begins

Samsung began its refrigerator market by introducing the indirect cooling system for the first time in Korea. By 1975, Samsung introduced 5 additional types of refrigerators and by 1976, Samsung released the energy-efficient ‘High Cold’ refrigerator. ‘High Cold’ fridges had 20% higher energy efficiency and has longer lifespan. As a result by 1978 Samsung fridges became the number one in Korea.

1 millionth black-and-white TV produced

As of October 20th, 1976, Samsung manufactured 1 million units of black-and-white TVs. As Samsung Electrics was merged with Samsung Electronics, Samsung could manage to unify all the plants and factories, further solidifying Samsung Electronics’ position as a leader in the TV market.

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