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Dealer & Integrator

What's going on with Samsung Techwin and Hanwha Group?

  • By Ginger Hill
  • Dec 08, 2014

As some of you may already know, Samsung Electronics has entered into an agreement to sell its shares of Samsung Techwin to Hanwha Group, based in South Korea. This will make Hanwha Group Samsung Techwin’s largest shareholder while strengthening Hanwha Group’s position in the security industry.

“Hanwha Group’s investment in Samsung Techwin will provide continued focus on the technologies and markets we serve,” said Soon Hong Ahn, president, Samsung Techwin America. “Most important is that our Samsung brand will remain intact and this partnership will be otherwise transparent and seamless, as management and all operations at Samsung Techwin will remain the same with no significant changes in the foreseeable future.”

Additionally, all parts of Samsung Techwin - R&D, manufacturing, sales, marketing – will not change so that both Samsung and Hanwha can realize even more growth.

At a recent press conference, the media was given access to Tom Cook, VP sales, Samsung Techwin America. As the questions flowed, I gathered some important highlights:

  • Samsung is getting more and more partners to put their apps on their cameras.
  • The goal of Hanwha acquiring stock – for the innovative product line to be number one.
  • Hanwha has a system integration division that can benefit from selling Samsung Techwin products in the Asian market.
  • A manufacturing facility built in America is in the works so that with all GSA contracts, Samsung can label their products “made in America.” (With GSA contracts, all products must be labeled “made in a favored nation or made in America.” A lot of Samsung’s products are made in Korea or China, although they can request all of their products to be make in Korea especially for GSA accounts.)
  • Adamant that this is a stock transition; not an acquisition.
  • The branding agreement is still in negotiation, but is assumed to be for “many years” according to Cook.

(Sometimes it’s better to sit back and listen; I think you learn more.)

Anyway, there were even positive mentions of 2015 and a new open platform partner, PlateSmart, which will allow LPR to be directed on Samsung’s Wisenet III cameras. These cameras were designed specifically for PlateSmart’s ARES LPR-based video analytics solution, enabling them to process all images within the camera itself.

“Innovation, being the first to do something, is what PlateSmart was founded on; and it shows,” PlateSmart CEO John Chigos said. “It’s not every day that you get to team up with a Fortune 500 company to create a new technology. This is truly an industry-changing development that will completely alter the way LPR and video analytics are done.”

“Our collaboration with PlateSmart fits our objective: to make expanding a surveillance system’s functionality as easy as adding an app to a smartphone,” said Cook. “Now users of Samsung cameras can add an LPR solution quickly and conveniently, without the need for any additional external hardware.”

So, from the sound of the press conference, all is positive with this change as Samsung Techwin continues to grow, now along with Hanwha Group.

(Some of the above information gathered from press releases from Samsung Techwin.)

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

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