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Samsung shoves IT arm into connected cars, hires new hands

Restructure meant to 'pre-empt biz uncertainties'

South Korean conglomerate Samsung is setting up new organisations including a car tech component team, and rejigging some of the leadership as the company prepares for winter in tech land.

The annual structural re-org this time around is to “pre-emptively respond to business uncertainties”, the company stated.

The fundamental org chart is set to remain structured in the same way - IT& Mobile Comms (IM), Consumer Electronics (CE) and Device Solutions (DS) but with some new sub-units.

In the IT& Mobile Comms (IM) sub, Byungsam Suh will head the newly formed digital appliances business, while Injong Rhee and Tae Mon Roh will run R&D for software and hardware respectively.

An automotive components team that will initially focus on building “competencies in infotainment and autonomous driving vehicles”, headed by exec veep Jonghwan Park and “overseen” by vice chairman and CEO Oh-Hyan Kwon.

The Visual Display Business - sitting in the CE division - has set up an AV business team and in IM has erected a Mobile Enhancing business to work on wearable tech and mobile-related accessories.

Specific online sales are being launched in Korea and Southwest Asia and the chaebol confirmed it “will also create dedicated online organisations within key business unit”. So it seems direct selling will feature more highly in Samsung’s plans.

Samsung said it has beefed up its planning and R&D organisations “with a focus on emerging markets” following relative slowdowns in the so-called BRIC nations - Brazil, Russia, India and China.

New execs signed up to improve results include Kyung Tae Bae who will head up China, BD Park will run Korea, and Jae Soon Park will lead global lead sales and marketing for the Digital Appliances Business.

The DS space sounds like it is entering a period of cost cutting “to prepare for rapidly changing market conditions in true semiconductor industry by focusing on streamlining internal operations and increasing productivity while seizing new business opportunities”.

This comes after Samsung reported decent Q3 numbers showing a nine per rise in revenues to 47.45tn Won (£26.6bn), including a nine per cent rise in mobile device sales to 23.52tn Won and 23 per cent spike in Semiconductor revenues to 12.82tn Won.

Profit was up 29 per cent on the prior year to 5.46tn won. ®

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