The EPA’s ENERGY STAR program has been America’s resource for saving both energy and money, as well as protecting the climate, for 30 years. As part of its annual ENERGY STAR Awards, the EPA honors businesses and organizations for leading their industries in the creation of energy-efficient products and services, and in the development and adoption of strategies that provide substantial energy savings in buildings.

“Sustainability is core to Samsung’s mission and we have an obligation to help stem the effects of climate change and preserve our planet for future generations. These accolades from the EPA reflect our ongoing efforts to reduce our impact through our efficient ENERGY STAR products, as well as through our reduced energy footprint in the built environment,” said Mark Newton, Head of Corporate Sustainability for Samsung Electronics America. “We’re proud to promote the EPA ENERGY STAR program and are thrilled to be recognized for our leadership in delivering sustainable innovations to our customers and supporting a clean and efficient energy economy in our operations.”

“We know it’s going to take all of us working together to tackle the climate crisis, and the 2022 ENERGY STAR award-winning partners are demonstrating what it takes to build a more sustainable future,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “These companies are showing once again that taking action in support of a clean energy economy can be good not only for the environment, but also for business and customers.”

The Sustained Excellence Award for Product Brand Owner represents a prominent honor granted by the ENERGY STAR program. It’s awarded to ENERGY STAR partners that have made a long-term commitment to fighting the climate crisis by providing and promoting energy efficient products to consumers and demonstrating leadership in energy efficiency. This marks the ninth year that Samsung has been named an ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence partner in the Product Brand Owner category.

As a global technology leader, Samsung believes that consumers should have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the environment through everyday changes — and those changes include the opportunity to purchase energy efficient products that offer savings on energy bills without sacrificing performance, features or comfort. In 2021, Samsung had 381 ENERGY STAR base models in the U.S., which is an increase of 25% compared to 2020. Moreover, all of Samsung’s PCs, dishwashers, front load clothes washers and air purifiers are ENERGY STAR certified. Samsung is committed to energy efficiency innovation and that is why the company won the 2021 ENERGY STAR Emerging Technology Award for Advanced Adaptive Compressors in the refrigerator category and the 2022 Emerging Technology Award for Induction Cooking Tops. These awards recognize groundbreaking technologies that advance energy efficiency significantly. Globally, Samsung product efficiency innovations have helped our customers avoid an estimated 301 million tons of CO2 emissions since 2009, the equivalent of removing more than 65 million cars off the road.

The Partner of the Year for Energy Management Award is given to ENERGY STAR partners that can demonstrate excellence in improving the energy performance of buildings and plants through a corporate-wide, portfolio-based energy program. From offices to warehouses and distribution centers, to electronic and appliance labs, Samsung Electronics America has a diverse portfolio of 41 buildings located across the country. As of 2021, the company has received ENERGY STAR Tenant Space recognition for seven leased spaces. As of 2021, this number ranked second nationally for most recognized properties within Tenant Space. As a result, Samsung Electronics America represented about 19% of the total properties recognized nationally within Tenant Space.

In addition to the Tenant Space effort, Samsung is meeting previous commitments for energy demand mitigation by retrofitting facilities with ENERGY STAR certified equipment, fixtures and products, as well as powering all facilities in the U.S., including manufacturing, with 100% renewable energy. Moreover, in 2021, Samsung enjoyed a continued reduction in electricity consumption from 2020 resulting in a 10% reduction in Weather Normalized Site Energy Use Intensity (kBtu/ft2).

Samsung’s commitment to energy efficient products and operations is a critical aspect of the company’s efforts to tackle climate change. The company looks forward to our continued efforts in ensuring consumers can make a meaningful impact on the environment through everyday changes, including by focusing on energy efficiency.

For more information about the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Awards, head to www.energystar.gov/about/awards. To learn more about Samsung’s commitment to sustainability, visit www.samsung.com/us/explore/sustainability/.

The EPA annually recognizes the top performers within its SMM Program. SMM Electronics Challenge participants are rethinking product life cycles, committing to innovative and responsible electronics management, and reducing environmental impacts. The 2020 SMM Electronics Challenge Award winners will be recognized at a virtual award ceremony later today.

“Samsung is humbled by the EPA’s recognition of our long-term commitment to the proper collection and recycling of e-waste in the United States and the sustainable design innovations that we continue to drive in product packaging,” said Mark Newton, Head of Corporate Sustainability for Samsung Electronics America. “We will continue to make investments to further our environmental stewardship practices and reduce our impact on climate change as we strive towards a greener and better tomorrow.”

“The Electronics Challenge award winners are corporate role models creating new products that show environmental improvement can go hand-in-hand with other technological advances. EPA encourages others to follow their lead by implementing similar innovative approaches,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan.

Samsung is one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers and fully embraces the responsibility that comes with our market position to effect change on a large scale to protect the environment. The EPA SMM Gold Tier Award acknowledges our excellence in e-waste collection throughout the U.S. Samsung annually collects and recycles approximately 100 million pounds of e-waste. Since 2008, we’ve recycled over a billion pounds of electronics, diverting them from U.S. landfills and recovering reusable materials.

The EPA SMM Champion Award in the Program Category recognizes Samsung’s innovative Galaxy S10 packaging strategies for its use of material in a more environmentally responsible way. The smartphone’s plastic-free box and interior packaging have been redesigned to reduce its environmental footprint and consume fewer resources. For example, the packaging includes an all-in-one pulp mold for the device and its components to minimize waste. Other adjustments include replacing plastic ties with paper materials. These design change have contributed to making the Galaxy S10’s packaging 32g lighter than that of its predecessors – a 16% packaging weight reduction.

For more information about Samsung’s sustainability efforts, click here, and to learn more about the EPA, please visit www.epa.gov.

Samsung today is an unquestioned global technology leader – yet, in this complex and competitive global landscape, the company has been embarking on an active course to transform itself, navigating emergent challengers and new technology categories, as it sets course for the future.

A major driver in this transformation has been Samsung’s expansion in Silicon Valley, where the company has had roots for over 30 years. Since 2012, Samsung has been investing heavily to broaden its operations and strategic partnerships in the valley, assembling a cadre of area veterans and innovators to cultivate emerging areas such as AI, health, IoT, and the cloud, and at the macro-level, to transform Samsung’s own organization and operations.

From the decision to expand operations in Silicon Valley, to the current efforts there, to Samsung’s relentless mission to remain at the forefront of technology change, this three-part special feature hears directly from Samsung leaders in the valley on what the company is doing there.

Through strategic investment in products and hedging against risk in market entry, Samsung had, by the first decade of the new millennium, become the world’s largest technology maker. It leads various product categories – ranging from semiconductors to smart devices to home entertainment. Intent on continuing growth for the future, however, Samsung leaders actively sought to explore ways to cultivate innovations like IoT, AI, and the data economy, with their enormous potential and ability to break across traditional silos.

In leadership gatherings throughout the late 2000’s, Samsung Electronics’ top management articulated the direction even more directly to their brain trust of leaders: “How do you grow when you’re already the largest company? What are we going to look like ten years from now? It will be our critical mission to figure that out.”  While the past approach had involved Samsung benchmarking other players and finding a strategic position in ripe markets, the future called for it to take ownership of its growing industry leadership and be the catalyst to lead the future.

Having established Samsung Semiconductor (SSI) in Silicon Valley more than thirty years ago, Samsung leaders had long recognized the area as a nexus of open innovation, with SSI having played an instrumental role in the valley’s growth. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, Samsung leaders had also experienced in the valley prime example of the benefits in innovation to be cultivated from a ‘failure as fruitful’ approach – where mistakes and failure, both individually and with others, could drive innovation, and fine-hone developments.

In considering Samsung transforming for the future, the insights of SSI seemed a natural place to start, and the prospect of leveraging expansion into the valley as a vehicle for change, tantalizing. Realizing they were onto something, Samsung’s brain trust next went on a manhunt to recruit the best and brightest industry leaders as well as valley veterans, and soon had the core pieces in place including Young Sohn, currently president and chief strategy officer of Samsung Electronics, and David Eun, president of Samsung NEXT and Samsung Electronics.

Shankar Chandran, who also was recruited into the mix to head the Samsung Catalyst Fund after 15 years as an active venture investor and former engineer, describes the vision coming together: “The tech world is consolidating behind certain major players and Samsung is one of the most prominent technology companies of the last decade. Joining the company and investing on behalf of Samsung is much more rewarding and impactful than as an independent investor. Our driving vision is simple. How do we lead in new areas?”

Today in Silicon Valley

After beginning strategic expansion in 2012, Samsung in Silicon Valley today boasts about 2,000 employees working across five major units throughout the Bay Area. The scope of work is both diverse and comprehensive from investments and partnerships in disruptive technologies and start-ups to hardware innovation in semiconductors, storage, and LCD panels to work in advanced software and the user experience.

While Samsung’s presence in Silicon Valley is diverse, each unit plays a unique and key role:

Samsung Strategy and Innovation Center (SSIC) (est. 2012): SSIC’s mission is to develop and accelerate disruptive technologies through open innovation, investments, and acquisitions by working in collaboration with entrepreneurs and strategic partners.  Its investment arms, the Samsung Catalyst Fund (SCF) as well as in-house M&A team, have hit the ground running since inception. For example, SCF, which has offices in Menlo Park, California, Tel Aviv, and London, has completed more than 40 investments globally. This year, SSIC’s M&A team executed the USD 8 billion acquisition of audio, automotive and connected technologies leader, Harman International – South Korea’s largest overseas deal and Samsung’s largest acquisition to date. SSIC also spearheaded the development of the ARTIK Smart IoT platform, an open platform for simpler, faster development and deployment of IoT devices and applications.

Samsung NEXT (est. 2013): Samsung NEXT (formerly Open Innovation Center; Global Innovation Center) partners with innovators to build ideas into products, and grow products into businesses that scale, leverage and transform the broader Samsung ecosystem. Samsung NEXT has empowered thousands of entrepreneurs around the world through incubation, investment, partnership and acquisition. To date, the company has made more than 70 investments and has led the major acquisitions of startups including the mobile-payment solution LoopPay (Samsung Pay), the open IoT platform for connected home SmartThings, and the next-gen AI assistant Viv. In early 2017, Samsung NEXT launched a USD 150 million fund to increase Samsung’s global support of early-stage startups, pursuing advanced software and services innovation in areas such as cybersecurity and IoT, among others.  Beyond Silicon Valley, Samsung NEXT also has a team in Korea and has expanded to include locations in the hubs of San Francisco, New York, Tel Aviv, and most recently, Berlin.

Samsung Research America (SRA) (est. 1988): With roots tracing back to 1988, SRA moved into its new Mountain View campus in late 2013. SRA, which also has campuses across North America, researches and builds new core technologies to enhance the competitive edge of Samsung products, and strengthens open innovation by leveraging key relationships with start-ups and academic institutions. SRA consists of several labs from the Mobile Payments and Security Lab which focuses on technologies like Android, Knox, and Samsung Pay to the Digital Solutions Lab which feeds into Samsung’s visual display business to the Computer Science and Innovation Center focusing on areas like AI and convergence. The key approach of SRA is to bring all these units under ‘one roof’ to improve synergy and interwork across Samsung’s R&D efforts.

Open Innovation Transforming Samsung Operations

Samsung’s efforts in Silicon Valley are transforming its very own operations and business strategy. Innovating today to transform tomorrow, the focus is on priming technology and partnerships to identify, address and guide human-centric trends that will ultimately transform society, for real people everywhere.

While the investment portfolios are not always directly related to Samsung’s core businesses and existing product portfolios, they do aim to forecast wholly new sectors for the future. Samsung leadership is also very much nurturing this spirit to percolate throughout the entire Samsung organization – the aim not simply about the consumption of products, but the way the technologies become tools to transform the way Samsung invents, works, and collaborates with its broader ecosystem of industry peers and partners.

Part two of this series will look more specifically into the work of SSIC and Samsung NEXT, and how the teams there are driving for change and success across unique platforms and innovation areas.

Martin Böker, B2B Director, Samsung Electronics Germany

Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), digitization will soon become tangible – taking the form of connected “things“ of all kinds. Technological advancements in the realm of hardware as well as the development of key technologies such as miniature RFID chips have paved the way for this new stage of digital transformation. In addition, the widespread introduction of 5G will lead to the exchange of mobile data at high speeds. For businesses, that is good news: not only can they become more agile and streamline their processes, this new infrastructure also enables them to develop and implement entirely new business models. The following five hypotheses elaborate on that.

IoT Requires Openness and Security

The IoT will require open standards across all industries, which is why we advocate for transparent R&D work and support open platforms. We also work very closely with our global partner network to achieve that openness.¹ However, IoT ecosystems that are based on interoperability and openness will also demand robust security. The higher the number of devices that are connected to a network, the greater the vulnerability for being hacked. With stricter penalties looming on the horizon, as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will sharpen the consequences for data protection violations, it is imperative that every professional IoT solution be paired with a well-founded security concept that includes proactive security systems as well as robust security platforms.

“Open Economy” is on its Way

The success of mobile devices and the interconnectedness brought about by the IoT are important drivers behind the overall transformation towards the so-called “Open Economy”. By 2020, 40 percent of employees will work on a self-employed basis.² Integrating these freelancers, as well as increasingly autonomous employees into business processes in a way that is effective and secure, is one of the biggest challenges that business must face going forward. After all, rigid office structures are increasingly obsolete: the “Open Economy” will be dominated by flexible schedules and office models. Furthermore, new forms of collaboration will evolve – not just with startups, but former competitors as well. To ensure that these new forms of cooperation are based on a swift exchange of data and knowledge without compromising the integrity of sensitive information, security architectures must be rooted deep in the hardware of mobile devices.

IoT is More than Just Efficiency

A recent study by the German IT industry association Bitkom³ revealed that most German businesses are currently undergoing a transformation process as a result of digitization. However, only 39 percent use the potential of digital technology to offer new products or services. Against this background, it seems important to emphasize that the businesses focusing solely on optimizing their processes and increasing efficiency may fail to recognize the IoT’s broader and more diverse potential. The IoT enables businesses to develop innovative products and services as well as data-driven business models – and thus helps them gain access to new markets. Making full use of these opportunities is not a matter for the future – it starts today. According to analysts and consulting firms, the IoT’s overall business potential is worth billions. For example, McKinsey⁴ estimates the IoT’s global economic value to be between 3.9 to 11.1 trillion dollars annually for 2025.

Cognitive Machine Learning Will Lead to More Comfort

The IoT era has the potential to bring users a new level of comfort and service, which will in turn impact consumers‘ future needs and expectations. The “smartness” and interconnectedness of utility objects – from the refrigerator to the car – will simplify our daily lives and result in new services that are not only convenient, but will save time as well as costs. It will also answer individual needs with much greater precision. In this context, the interoperability of devices as well as the learning aptitude of systems will become much more relevant for the development of IoT-based products and services. Just recently, Peugeot and Samsung teamed up and announced the “Peugeot Instinct Concept” – an internet-enabled concept car representing Peugeot’s take on the self-driving experience. It’s the first time a car has been enabled with a functional IoT platform, the SAMSUNG ARTIK Cloud, which seamlessly connects the car to the user’s cloud and thus to a full range of connected devices such as a smartphone, smartwatch or home automation system. This way, users can interact with their cars from any cloud-enabled device. On the other hand, the concept car can adjust its settings depending on other devices.

IoT Means Continuous Innovation

At Samsung, we regard it as our responsibility to contribute to the necessary groundwork for the IoT to be successful. Therefore, we will further expand our innovative capacity in the development of devices, components and software, and keep on optimizing them for the IoT era. Our aim is that, from 2020 onwards, almost all Samsung devices will be IoT-ready. For businesses, we offer a smart end-to-end platform for the IoT – SAMSUNG ARTIK – which equips them with the necessary hardware and software to develop their IoT solutions in-house, build their own prototypes in a cost-effective way and quickly bring new products and services to market. Together with our partners, we also continuously introduce new innovative solutions and will keep on doing so. It is our overarching goal to support businesses during their digital transformation in the best possible way, and to help them implement new technology concepts so they can make full use of the potential and innovations offered by the IoT.

1. As one of the founding members of the Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC), Samsung also advocates for the development of common IoT standards

2. Open Economy Report, Samsung, March 2017: https://news.samsung.com/de/samsung-open-economy-report

3. Study: „Digitalisierung der Wirtschaft“, Bitkom, March 2017: https://www.bitkom.org/Presse/Presseinformation/Digitalisierung-sorgt-fuer-mehr-Wohlstand-und-Wachstum.html

4. Internet of Things: Mapping the Value beyond the Hype“, McKinsey Global Institute, 2015: https://www.mckinsey.de/files/unlocking_the_potential_of_the_internet_of_things_full_report.pdf

The awards, which bring the company’s 11-year total to nearly 350, highlight Samsung’s long history of achievements in developing groundbreaking technology. Products entered in the Innovation Awards program are judged by a preeminent panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and members of the trade media to honor outstanding engineering and design in cutting-edge consumer electronics products across 28 categories.

“At Samsung, we are constantly working to improve with each product we make,” said Gregory Lee, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America. “We are honored that CTA and the industry have recognized our ongoing commitment to innovation in many areas, and we look forward to showcasing our latest offerings at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show.”

Samsung’s award-winning products includes one best of innovation award and one eco-design award, and spans many categories ranging from TV, Mobile and Home Appliances to Memory, Wearables and Computer Technology. Several of Samsung’s industry recognized products will be on display at CES 2017, which takes place January 5-8, 2017, in Samsung’s booth (#15006), in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Additionally, a few of the products will be showcased at Samsung’s CES press conference which will take place on Wednesday January 4, 2017 at 2 p.m. PT.

Following are details on some of Samsung’s award-winning products:

Gear S3 – Inspired by traditional timepieces and the art of watchmaking, the Gear S3 smartwatch fuses timeless design with the latest in mobile technology, including LTE and Bluetooth connectivity, Samsung Pay, IP68 water resistance and built-in GPS.¹

ArtPC Pulse – Samsung ArtPC Pulse is a stunning, powerful modular desktop PC that consumers can customize through a unique pulse lighting feature, as well as modules that expand and personalize the computing experience to meet user needs and preferences.

Samsung Gear VR – The Samsung Gear VR, powered by Oculus, continues to be the most enjoyable and comfortable mobile VR experience available. With the Samsung Gear VR, consumers can play amazing games, watch Hollywood’s best movies in their own private cinema, socialize with friends new and old, be at the center of a suspense thriller and so much more. The Gear VR drops users right into the action.²

Samsung Gear 360 – The Samsung Gear 360 is a powerful high-resolution 360-degree camera that lets users capture 360 videos and images, in a format that up until now was out of reach for many consumers and businesses. Creating immersive content of key moments has never looked better and been easier to capture.

Samsung 960 PRO SSD 2TB – The Samsung SSD 960 PRO 2TB is both the highest performing and highest capacity NVMe-based consumer SSD in the M.2 form factor with V-NAND technology that Samsung has released to date. With the 960 PRO, professionals will stay ahead when it comes to storage endurance, reliability and density than ever before. Using a smaller form factor fit for ultra-thin laptops and PCs, users can take their files with them – and access them at rapid speeds – on the go. With the ability to survive up to 1.2 petabytes written, no other SSD on the market today can compete with the endurance provided by the 960 PRO.

Samsung 850 PRO SSD 4TB – As the world’s first 2-bit MLC 4TB consumer SSD, the 850 PRO is ideal for dramatically boosting PC performance. With an industry leading 4TB capacity, users have more space than ever before to store files locally. In particular, high data consumption users such as content creators, gaming and PC enthusiasts can upgrade their laptops and workstations from a hard disk drive to the 850 PRO SSD 4TB to surpass density limitations, reduce power consumption, better support heavy write-intensive applications, and improve PC and program load times.

Samsung PM971 512GB BGA NVMe SSD – Designed for use in ultra-slim PCs, the ball-grid-array PM971 solid state drive weighs less than half a penny and is about the size of a postage stamp. Its incredible sequential performance enables the transfer of a 5GB-equivalent full HD movie in about 3 seconds, and full download in about 6 seconds. The PM971 is 15 times as fast as typical hard disk drives. Furthermore, the industry’s first BGA NVMe SSD triples the performance of a typical SATA SSD, within the industry’s smallest storage dimensions, with capacity reaching up to 512GB per drive.

¹Dust and water resistant based on IP68 rating, which tests submersion up to 5 feet for up to 30 minutes.Make up to five payments on your Gear S3 without a Galaxy smartphone nearby after initial setup. Reload payment capability by connecting to a Galaxy smartphone via Bluetooth. Only compatible with select cards, carriers and Samsung devices; see the Samsung Pay Support page. Samsung Pay on Gear S3 does not support certain features found on Galaxy phones such as membership, gift cards and offers and deals. Samsung Pay on Gear S3 is compatible with non-Samsung Android phones, offering Gear S3 users a way to try Samsung Pay. Samsung Gear S3 (frontier/4G LTE) is a companion device for compatible Android smartphones, sold separately. Initial pairing with compatible phone and separate qualifying wireless plan required. Standalone functionality is limited if paired phone is not powered on or connected to a wireless network. Network coverage not available everywhere. Consult carrier for details. LTE not available in all models. Portion of memory occupied by existing content.

²Gear VR is compatible with Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note5, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge.

Imagine being able to create your own business with the help of your existing employer. Even better, imagine being given the resources and time off from your daily duties to help your venture become a success. It might seem like an unlikely idea, but it’s one that’s taking place right now under our roof here at Samsung.

Samsung has a legacy of building market-leading products. Chances are that you probably have a piece of Samsung technology in your home or workplace. However, a company can never rest on its laurels and that is no less true for Samsung than any other firm that wants to innovate into the future. And with the link between creativity and productivity so clear, Samsung created a program that clearly shows that ethos. As well as continuing its traditional business units, the company is also helping our workers to think outside the box and the results are already evident.

The Samsung C-Lab (short for Creative Lab) was set up to enable Samsung employees to nurture their own business ideas and give them the tools, the time and the support to become fully fledged businesses. The program encourages progressive thinking by giving workers the go-ahead to develop ideas, even if those ideas don’t necessarily fit within a currently existing area of our business. The only pre-requisite is that the idea is genuinely innovative and can demonstrate itself as such by gaining the approval of other colleagues. The end result is a new product or service that could be developed further by Samsung, or stand on its own two feet as a business in its own right.

The great thing about the C-Lab is that Samsung enables workers taking part in this program to dedicate themselves to their projects 100%. They can take between six months to a year away from their usual day jobs and spend it working on their ideas. They’re given free rein to experiment, which means unbridled creativity. It’s a positive move that helps Samsung’s people to unlock their potential by doing something they’ve never done before.

The C-Lab is a win-win situation. The workers are empowered to explore and create in ways that differ to how they are usually able. And for Samsung, the C-Lab keeps us at the forefront of innovation by taking a different approach.

Changing Business

The C-Lab was created in 2012, based on the experiences that Samsung’s management had in Silicon Valley. They had seen how the entire business environment was changing. The startup scene there in particular was booming, with large numbers of companies receiving investment on the back of original ideas and growing aggressively. It wasn’t the traditional types of businesses we were used to seeing thrive on such a scale. These startups were fleet of foot and able to move very quickly without being hampered by legacy thinking and bureaucracy. They were agile enough to move and change rapidly.

Technology in particular was in 2012, and still is, a huge growth area for startups. Internet and software companies, for example, accounted for two thirds of VC investments in 2014. It’s a clear indication of the type of firms that were emerging a few years ago. Similarly, when looking at angel investments, internet companies accounted for almost half. It was obvious then that the appetite for entrepreneurship was there, especially in tech.  It called for Samsung to listen to the market and respond accordingly in order to bring about a ‘challenger spirit’ within its ranks.

A Break from Tradition

Operating as a startup is easy when you only have a few members of staff on your books. Samsung is now finding that it is possible to introduce some of the elements that typify a startup within its own business. But it does involve some radical adjustments to make it work.

One of the aspects that we introduced with the C-Lab is holacracy, or a flatter way of organizing and managing teams.

“In a similar way to many of the startups of Silicon Valley, the C-Lab’s structure isn’t governed by hierarchical systems. Instead, each team has a leader and project members. That’s it. It works because the absence of a set-in-stone structure enables everyone to get their hands dirty, and contribute and work collaboratively to help the project meet its goals. They’re no longer tied to uniform tasks, they receive performance-based rewards and are encouraged to set challenging goals that help them to excel.” said Stan Kim, a director of C-Lab at Creativity & Innovation Center.

Perhaps the most notable tenet of the C-Lab approach is that failure isn’t a bad thing. It’s part of the exploration process that helps the most innovative of companies to hit the eureka moment. If workers aren’t afraid of failure, they can experiment and possibly create new things that they wouldn’t otherwise have the breathing space to do.

What’s more, C-Lab teams get to work flexibly, meaning they can work when and where they want. It’s a reimagining of how teams work and collaborate.

Samsung feels that the benefits of this type of structure can be far reaching. By calling on the strong leadership and culture of the existing organization, along with the challenger spirit of small, innovative organizations, we’re able to benefit from hybrid innovation. It’s a model that enables the business to have the best of both worlds.

Ideas Search

Discussing ideas is a breeze as well. Any Samsung employee can suggest and evaluate ideas through the company-wide collective intelligence platform ‘MOSAIC’ or via email. Ideas can be submitted either individually or as a team.

After the submissions of ideas, they are screened based on how specific, innovative, and marketable they are. Next, the ideas are developed using the “Lean approach” to ensure they are as efficient as possible. The ideas then proceed to the voting stage, where Samsung employees get their voices heard. Voters choose their favorite ideas that will continue to the next round, and after a final review by a group of experts, it’s time for the final presentation. Here, a selected audience plays the role of venture capitalists and after each presentation, they decide whether they would invest in the idea.

Around 15-20 ideas are selected each year using this process and they are the ones that become official C-Lab projects.

The Next Step

The selected C-Lab members start developing their ideas that they hope will become full-scale businesses. As team leaders, they can select colleagues who they want to work with through Talent Audition, a unique job posting program. As a team, they pursue a shared goal and decide on the best ways to reach it. And because C-Lab is an open project, employees are allowed to recruit members from outside Samsung if they can’t find the right people inside the organization.

In the end, many find that the hard work pays off. When C-Lab projects are completed, those that are closely related to a division’s business (such as TVs or home appliances), are transferred to each division for further development to launch on the market. Other projects, which are not transferred to divisions, are supported to launch an independent company as a fully-fledged startup. Not bad for something that started out as a grassroots idea on the Samsung shop floor.

C-Lab has been an incredible incentive for employees. At Samsung, innovative thinking is recognized with an opportunity to take the idea to market. Samsung invests money as seed capital to help employees launch their business. In addition, the company offers counsel by way of technology and management expertise during the early stages of their business to ensure stable growth. Despite all this, the startups maintain their independence.

The Measure of Success

The main objective of the C-Lab since it was established is to drive and encourage employees. Employees are empowered to kick-start creative ideas and get hands-on with technology development that may lead to a new business opportunity. Given that objective, the results have been encouraging. The number of projects submitted to internal idea contests has increased for the past three years. Meanwhile, sharing ideas has become a natural part of internal culture as employees realize that the more they share new ideas, the better chance they have of developing and creating new business opportunities.

The ideas that have blossomed are a real testament to the success of the C-Labs. Some 46% of projects are transferred to various Samsung business divisions, and 18% are spun off to become businesses in their own right. But it’s the people behind the businesses who are the real stars. Through the program, they are able to be bolder in their thought processes and dream big. They unlock their full potential and are given the right amount of support and autonomy to be successful through the use of their own ideas. That’s a priceless opportunity.

The Future

Samsung is planning to increase the opportunities for employees to participate in C-Lab projects. New locations are already in the works, including a physical space to increase synergies between projects and personnel, the Seoul R&D Center for software and spinoffs, a tech shop and a new exhibition hall in Suwon, plus an additional R&D base at Seoul National University.

There has been firm believes within the company what the C-Lab can achieve and so we’re opening up the program in a way that will continue to provide more chances to get employees involved. The more people get involved, the more they are able to engage their own workforce to go the extra mile in how they approach their work. Samsung encourages staff to become personally invested in innovation, which, as a concept, is very powerful.

Samsung Electronics Argentina unveiled to the public the first Samsung Safety Truck, a technology for trucks which seeks to prevent road accidents inovertaking situations on roads.

Thanks to the partnership between Samsung Electronics Argentina and its partners Leo Burnett Argentina, advertising agency with global reach, Ingemática, Argentine business dedicated to creating tech solutions, Helvetica SA, a national company dedicated to trailer engineering and construction, and Volvo Trucks Argentina, one of the leading truck manufacturers worldwide, the first Samsung Safety Truck was finally able to be developed and brought to reality.

Samsung aims to improve people’s lives by developing technologies that enable them to interact with products in new and exciting ways. The Samsung Safety Truck is a clear example of this constant innovation. The development of the project from its inception was conducted entirely in Argentina and drew attention from around the world. In Cannes Lions 2015, world’s most prestigious advertising festival, Samsung Safety Truck was awarded with a Titanium Lion, along with three gold and another three silver awards. Samsung also won in the Clio awards, with two gold Clios in digital and out of home categories, as well as three silver Clios in the Direct, Engagement / Experience and Innovation categories. It was also selected as one of the ‘25 best inventions of 2015’ by Time magazine.

Samsung Safety Truck leverages two built-in front cameras and a specially-designed Ingematica transportation software platform to capture and transmit a picture of the road ahead, enabling trailing vehicles to evaluate more accurately passing potential and make more informed driving decisions. Each picture is made available to nearby drivers through a high-quality display composed of four Samsung OH46D video walls. Designed to be dustproof and waterproof, the OHD Series video walls are IP56 certified for superior performance against even the most challenging environmental conditions, ensuring a clear picture regardless of the road or weather.

“Samsung is always looking for opportunities to apply technology in innovative ways to improve people’s lives. Leveraging our experience as the world leader in display technology, along with Leo Burnett, we came up with the idea of the Samsung Safety Truck, an invention that we believe will change the history of road safety,” said Sang Jik Lee, President of Samsung Electronics Argentina.

“In Leo Burnett Argentina we always try to think of ideas that are able to positively impact the lives of people. With the Samsung Safety Truck, we have taken a step further. Not only can it improve our lives, but it can also save them,” said Fernando Bellotti, President of Leo Burnett Argentina and Regional Creative Director for Latin America.

“Since the beginning of this project, Ingemática was involved in developing this innovative idea, seeking to give life to what at first seemed impossible and is now a reality. We are convinced that it will help save lives on the roads of our country and as an Argentine company, we are proud to have been able to develop a global solution locally,” said Alejandro Muther, President of Ingemática.

“Helvética has over 110 years of history in the Argentine market. Throughout our history, we have always been pioneers in bringing innovation efficiency in the cargo transportation industry. Upon learning of this idea, we immediately contributed both the trailer and the know-how of our engineering team to achieve the adaptations the equipment required for the incorporation of this new technology,” said Raul Corna, President of Helvetica SA.

“Safety is a basic principle in any project of Volvo Trucks and it’s what keeps the group active in their effort to develop innovative technologies that completely eliminate the risk of accidents. Under this premise, Volvo Trucks Argentina wanted to participate in the Samsung Safety Truck project to further promote reflections on a more secure future for both the truck driver and everyone else,“ mentionedValere Lourme Manager of Marketing and Communications at Volvo Trucks.

The official launch was sponsored by Garbarino, one of the most important retail companies in Argentina, as well as Visuar and Mirgor, both Argentine companies dedicated to the production and commercialization of electronic products, with factories in different parts of the country. The official launch took place in the iconic racing circuit “Roberto José Mouras” and was attended by domestic and international media as well as distinguished business leaders. During the course of the event, attendees could enjoy the materialization of this new technology through product demonstrations and demo drives.

The Samsung Safety Truck will be running for a year.

Product Specs:

Samsung OH46D display

Volvo Truck FH

• 13 litres Engine / 6 cylinder
• Torc and power in the range of economy
• Automated I-Shift Box
• Engine brake VEB 510 hp
• Globetrotter cab
• Sun roof + emergency exit
• Complete security package
• Connectivity + fleet management system
• Blind Spot Control System (LCS)
• Assistance to Stay in Lane (LKS)
• Driver Alert Support (DAS)
• ACC (Auto Pilot. Intelligent) + Emergency braking
• Cab Designed as survival Module
• FUPS: Front anti intrusion system
• Airbag
• integrated seat belts
• Unparalleled Visibility
• ABS, EBS, ESP, VEB Brakes
• LED rear lights with Emergency Brake Warning

*All functionality features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

New Products, Content and Services Reflect Home Cooks’ Growing Desire to Connect with Authentic Culinary Experiences

Samsung Electronics, a global home appliance innovator, today announced new home appliance products and experiences that inspire, educate and give consumers the tools they need to significantly up their cooking game. Innovations in the kitchen combine with new ways of connecting with some of the world’s most celebrated chefs to transform meal preparation into a true culinary experience. Samsung’s line of products – including a new dual door version of one of its most popular ovens, a kitchen range that finally makes induction heat a practical addition to any kitchen and a counter-depth refrigerator which makes breakthrough performance and design widely accessible – are on display at the 2015 International CES from Jan. 6-9, 2015.

“Consumers are more passionate about their homes than ever before. And that’s particularly true in the kitchen, where appliances are not just tools for meal preparation, but outlets to explore their culinary creativity and make a design statement,” said John Herrington, Senior Vice President, General Manager of Home Appliances, Samsung Electronics America. “With home cooks craving fresh ideas and inspiration, this year we are not only delivering incredible new product innovations, but forging ways to connect with chef-created content to make cooking more enjoyable and meaningful.”

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New Ways of Connecting with Samsung Chef Collection

In 2013, Samsung launched Club des Chefs, a first-of-its-kind global culinary initiative that brought together world class chefs to collaborate with Samsung on the development of next-generation products. The result was the Samsung Chef Collection, a suite of beautifully designed professional chef-level appliances that has re-defined performance and design in the kitchen.

The connection between chef insights, products and consumers has proven so strong that Samsung is taking a holistic look at the cooking process and has introduced new content and services to make Club des Chefs and the Samsung Chef Collection truly immersive at-home culinary experiences. The Chef Collection App is an online tablet publication that includes original home cooking content from Samsung MSCA (Media Solutions Center America), recipes from partners like BigOven, Bon Appétit, Chefs Feed, Saveur, and the Culinary Institute of America, and tips from the chefs themselves. Updated bi-weekly, the app also features tutorial videos that showcase the Chef Collection suite of appliances to inspire consumers to explore its differentiated features. It’s like having your own personal culinary advisor at your fingertips, whether you’re cooking an everyday meal or preparing for a special holiday or occasion. The app will be available for download in Spring 2015.

For a limited time, consumers who purchase a Chef Collection appliance package are eligible to receive an exclusive Chef Collection tablet, with pre-installed app. The tablet also comes with a custom butcher block and engraved tablet stand.

In addition, Samsung recently launched the Samsung Culinary Class at FERRANDI, the leading professional culinary school in Paris, France. Consumers are now able to work side-by-side with some of the most accomplished professional chefs in the world and see first-hand how chef insights are applied to next-generation Samsung products. FERRANDI is serving as a pilot program for expansion to consumer engagements throughout the world.

Heating up the Cooking Category

Last year marked an exciting one for Samsung’s cooking category, from successfully transitioning the entire freestanding gas line-up to a more premium design to offering clever advancements like Clean View Door, which offers the largest viewing window space of any major brand in its class. In 2015, Samsung will transition its electric range line to match the new premium design reflected in the gas category.

Cooking flexibility remains an area of interest for consumers, and Samsung addresses this head-on. This year, Samsung will evolve its popular Flex Duo^TM Oven Range with the introduction of Dual Door. Just like the Samsung Flex Duo range, it gives consumers the ability to simultaneously cook two different dishes in two separate compartments at different temperatures with little transfer of aroma and taste, all behind the streamlined look of one solid oven door. Samsung takes convenience and flexibility to a whole another level with two doors that have been integrated into one to provide three cooking configurations to tackle any meal demand. An upper door gives access to a small top compartment (which, according to Samsung research, 92 percent of Flex Duo users prefer); a full door opens to both the top and bottom compartments when the removable Smart Divider is in use, and offers access to the entire oven when the divider is not in use. The capacity of a full size oven with the flexibility to customize based on meal prep needs – it’s the best of both worlds.

The Samsung Flex Duo^TM Oven Range with Dual Door^TM will be available in Spring 2015.

Precision in Induction

Induction heating has become an increasingly popular option around the globe and while it has a superior ability to effectively transfer heat from the cooktop to cookware, it lacks the visual cues signaling the level of heat. The Samsung Chef Collection Slide-In Induction Range with Virtual Flame Technology^TM not only delivers the full benefits of induction cooking, but takes it a step further.

A CES Innovation Awards honoree, the induction range features LED lighting embedded beneath a glass cooktop to cast a reassuring flame-like glow onto pots and pans when in use. The intensity of the virtual flame increases as you turn up the power, with nine levels of heat ranging from simmer to boil.

On top of the power and precision of a 4-burner induction cooktop, the Samsung Chef Collection Slide-In Induction Range includes award-winning features like Flex Duo Technology. Wrapped in a sleek stainless exterior with thoughtfully-designed controls, the range is ready to slide into any home kitchen décor to create a seamless and professional look. The Samsung Chef Collection Slide-In Induction Range is available now.

Breakthrough Refrigerator Performance and Design in a Counter Depth Model

Since its introduction last year, the T9000 Refrigerator has quickly joined a long line of innovative Samsung refrigerators which have transformed food storage in the kitchen. And, its perfectly calibrated balance of technology, performance and design has catapulted the T9000 to the top of the category.

The new counter depth version of the T9000 makes it accessible to a much larger segment of the consumer market. Its slim design easily fits into standard kitchen cabinets, so it delivers a more harmonized look and feel for today’s modern kitchens. The 23 cu. ft. refrigerator features Triple Cooling System technology, which creates three separate airflows in the refrigerator and freezer, enabling optimal humidity and individual temperature control per each compartment for outstanding freshness.

Triple Cooling also enables the T9000 to feature the Cool Select Plus, a fridge-in-freezer compartment located in the lower right part which can be converted from a refrigerator to a freezer and back again, and serves a multitude of needs.  The Cool Select Plus features 4.43 cu. ft. of fresh-food storage and includes four customizable temperature settings:  Fridge (41 F), Chilled (30 F), Soft Freeze (23 F), and Frozen (-9 to 1 F).

Additionally, the interior includes such features as slide in/flip up shelves and two crisper drawers. The counter depth T9000 will be available in Spring 2015.

New Options in Food Storage Innovation

With innovative and smart storage solutions, the Samsung Food Showcase refrigerator line-up – introduced last year – has quickly become a hit with busy families searching for ways to get a leg up on organization in the kitchen.  The exterior door ShowCase compartments, divided into three family-friendly zones, and interior InnerCase compartments, perfect for storing larger, fresh food items, have proven to be the ideal combination of intuitive functionality, convenience and design. Now Samsung is adding new counter depth side by side and entry level models to the already robust line, insuring a wide breadth of options for all kitchen configurations and price points.

All Food Showcase refrigerator models feature a Metal Cooling guard on the inside of the front door to capture cold air and maintain the optimal temperature within the fridge, so food stays fresh, even if the refrigerator door is opened frequently. The refrigerators also feature elegant metal doors that add a premium feel to the modern lifestyle of families.

The new Samsung Food ShowCase refrigerator models are rolling out now, in addition to the already available side-by-side, four-door and three-door French Door models.

To see and experience Samsung’s appliances first-hand, visit the Samsung booth #11906 in the Central Hall. Samsung Electronics America’s press releases, product images and video content are available at www.samsung.com/newsroom and global.samsungtomorrow.com/CES2015.

* All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.