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Saumsung Electronics said Thurday that the Samsung Innovation Forum will be held from June 7 to July 9 at Samsung Digital City in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics |
By Kim Yoo-chul
Samsung Electronics will launch a one-month exhibition highlighting the company's product development over the last two decades at Samsung Digital City, its technology compound in Suwon, Friday.
The company said Thursday that the "Samsung Innovation Forum" will be held from June 7 through July 9. It will open the exhibition to its partners and the public from June 27.
Samsung has so far held the annual forum as an internal event to encourage its technicians and management to come up with advanced products.
Conceptual products and prototypes of Samsung's next-generation devices were usually on display as the forum is regarded as the "litmus test" to gauge its capability of handling next products and next markets.
Samsung officials said the concept of this year's forum will be different as the year 2013 marks the 20th anniversary since a new management scheme was announced by Chairman Lee Kun-hee in June, 1993.
Products, technologies and services by the company's various divisions from the last two decades will be on display at the forum.
"Samsung was always a challenger. Now, we want to share our history in product development over the last two decades and lessons that we've learned since the announcement of new management," said Samsung official.
"This year's forum will bring televisions and handsets that were out 20 years ago to encourage our employees to feel a sense of crisis," said the official.
Those who want to visit the forum can register via www.2013samsungforum.com from June 10.
Chairman Lee took over the top seat in the late 1980's after the death of his father, its founder Lee Byung-chul. He then tried to build a new corporate culture. That included completely rethinking everything that Samsung had ever done.
Lee summoned his executives in Frankfurt, Germany in 1993 and delivered a three-day speech, famously known as the "Frankfurt Declaration." His message was simple. "Change everything but your wife and children."
Despite the declaration, Samsung was passive in improving the quality of its products. In 1995, the chairman piled 150,000 handsets on the pavement at Samsung's key manufacturing plant in the southern industrial city of Gumi. He then burnt them all to the ground. What was left was ground to dust by bulldozers, according to Samsung.
"This year's forum will bring televisions and handsets that were out 20 years ago to encourage our employees to feel a sense of crisis that Samsung is now situated in," said the official.
The official stressed the importance of the lessons of history as a good source of encouragement toward realizing Samsung's next steps toward transforming itself as an innovator not just as a fast-follower.
Seminars and discussions are scheduled to be delivered. Technology affiliates of Samsung Group including Samsung Electronics will participate in the exhibition, the statement read.
"Samsung evolved from product supplier to life companion. We hope this year's event becomes a podium to forecast Samsung's next steps in technologies," Lee Kyung-tae, vice president at the company's management office was quoted as saying in the statement.
Those who want to visit the forum can register via www.2013samsungforum.com from June 10.
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