History of samsung - Makers of Fridges Ovens and Household goods

Korean company Samsung was originally established in the 1930s as a trading company. Expansion into the world of consumer electronics came in 1969, as part of a government-backed drive to develop Korean industry.

Fridges were one of the first products Samsung made, with the first SR-180 and SR-201 fridges rolling off the Korean production lines in 1974. In the years that followed, continued research and development led to more energy efficient fridge technology, and Samsung launched their range of "High Cold" fridges in 1976.

Today, Samsung is the third largest manufacturer of fridges, with nearly 14% of the global market for refrigerators.

In the late 1990s, South Korea experienced a severe recession, and as Korean wages became less competitive Samsung was forced to expand their manufacturing operations in countries such as Mexico and China, which had much lower labour costs.

Large-scale redundancies followed, and Samsung's leadership realised that the future for them was to differentiate through high quality, not low cost. Perhaps as a result, Samsung are now ranked as one of the top 100 brands in the world by Business Week magazine, and are respected and recognised worldwide for the outstanding design and technology of their products.

Samsung's consumer electronic ranges include televisions and home entertainment centres, mobile phones, white goods and air conditioning facilities, all of which have earned a reputation for high quality.

Samsung's fridges have not escaped this quality revolution – Samsung have chosen to concentrate on producing the upmarket and increasingly popular American-style fridges – not only are these well-established in the large US market, but they are becoming increasingly popular in Europe. American-style fridges normally combine full-height freezer and refrigeration compartments next to each other, and offer families with larger kitchens a fridge freezer with outstanding capacity and facilities.