Georges Barakat, regional head of Digital Appliances for Samsung Electronics MENA, unviels the new line of appliancesin Antalya, Turkey. WITH commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, Samsung Electronics is pioneering the future of Digital Appliances by unveiling a range of home appliance in the recently-concluded MENA Forum in Antalya, Turkey.
Samsung is on track to become a market leader in home appliances by developing innovative products and improving market outreach, Georges Barakat, regional head of Digital Appliances for Samsung Electronics Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Headquarters.
“By developing innovative products that enhance the lives of our customers worldwide, we have made pioneering moves in the Digital Appliances market,” Barakat, who is responsible for managing the kitchen and living sector within the Digital Appliances divisions across the region.
“Our Digital Appliances are tailor-made with our customers at the forefront of our thinking. We are moving aggressively to bolster our capabilities for developing innovative products and improving market outreach,” he said.
“To achieve this, we are enhancing the competitive edge of our business by reorganizing our production network, strengthening our R&D department, and expanding our high-end product lineups,” he added.
The debut of the Samsung Chef Collection refrigerator, a premium professional chef-level appliance developed in collaboration with Samsung Club des Chefs, is a step in that direction.
The introduction of the latest top load washer, the Samsung activ dualwash that includes a built-in sink with water jet and gentle scrubbing surface, providing an all-in-one solution to pre-treat tough stains, and the new Samsung POWERbot VR9000 that features an array of advanced technologies to do the heavy lifting for today's busy households, are the other appliances set to make their mark in the Middle East market.
Elaborating on the sales numbers for DA in 2014, Barakat, in an interview with Saudi Gazette, said: “Our Digital Appliances business saw a double digit growth in 2014, more than twice the industry average.
“In terms of kitchen appliances, we grew 4-times more than global average. Despite such growth, we will continue to deliver appliances that enrich the lives of consumers worldwide.”
Replying to a question on what Samsung has in mind for larger B2B deals, Barakat said: “For the development of B2B deals, Samsung has been investing in R&D and developing new products for the enterprise market.
“Most recently, the company announced Samsung 360 Services for Business, a comprehensive suite of services encompassing mobility support, enterprise mobility management (EMM) and value added services.
“In 2014, Samsung also announced a number of business-specific products, including a new lineup of Android-based printers and its latest visual display solutions. The company aims to be the global leader in the large format display market for six consecutive years.
“Samsung continues to take a customer-centric approach as it evolves its enterprise product lines to offer increasing customization. The company plans to announce more products and services for the enterprise market in 2015.”
Barakat, while answering a query on how the consumer can ensure that their device is in line with global environment preservation rules, said: “Samsung is a company that works to protect the world for the benefit of everyone by reducing our impact on the environment. In order to achieve this, Samsung uses its own innovation and technologies to create products that have long-term environmental benefits for people and the planet.”
“Samsung has incorporated the evaluation of each new product on its eco-friendliness from a very early stage of product development. We have also implemented an Eco-Design Process and an Eco-Product Rating Process from the product planning to design and development stages.
“This evaluation helps continually enhance the energy and resource efficiency of products and maintains good ecological practices at manufacturing sites such as waste recycling and restricting the use of hazardous substances in production” he added.
Expounding on the company's strategic plans for DA division in the Middle East region, Barakat said: “Samsung aims to keep targeting for market leadership in all key DA segments, but more importantly than business objectives, we aim to keep listening to our customers and to keep enriching their lives with innovative products that truly tick the functionality box such as activ dualwash, the top loading washing machine with the unique built-in sink or enabling their premium lifestyles to take shape with iconic products such as the Chef Collection.”
Explaining the price segments that Samsung focus on to consumer needs, Barakat stated: “Samsung prides itself on listening to its customers and consumers in each of our markets. The price that we offer our consumers in each market takes into consideration many factors such as economic conditions, import laws and market dynamics in that market, enabling us to offer a wide choice of products in almost all price segments, while always delivering on quality, innovation and durability.”
