Samsung sets up molding suppliers—and itself

The only specific items mentioned are “expensive specialized injection molding systems” that Samsung provided to the suppliers. According to Samsung, this enhances its marketing of TVs, specifically its Crystal Rose design models, the company’s latest ultraslim LCD TVs launched in April 2008.

The new large-screen (46- and 52-inch) LCDs feature a frame made using Samsung’s TOC (Touch of Color) injection molding technology, which consists of a color layer and a transparent layer that together yield the liquid look.

After Samsung donated the unidentified molding systems costing 2 billion to 3 billion won ($1.45 million to $2.2 million), its quality level rose while its partners concentrated on the molding process.

In the five months following their launch, sales of Crystal Rose models passed 1 million units, helping Samsung’s share of the global LCD TV market grow from 16.9% at the end of 2007 to 20.4% at the end of Q2 2008.