The world’s largest consumer electronics maker, Samsung Electronics Co., is looking to boost its commercial business in the Western U.S., and it’s using a site near John Wayne Airport as its base for those efforts.
Samsung Electronics America Inc. last month opened a 7,500-square-foot showroom in Irvine. The ground-floor space in the Von Karman Towers office complex pays homage to its vast lineup of digital displays for corporate use, from dual office monitors to a 146-inch monster, aptly called “The Wall,” which costs about $10,000.
Digital displays of all shapes and sizes, positioned around the first floor, glass-encased space at 18401 Von Karman Ave. are visible from the street, and have already captured the attention of nearby office workers around the campus.
“This is a long time in the making,” Mark Quiroz, vice president of sales, marketing, and business development, said during a media tour on April 25.
Samsung’s latest Executive Briefing Center is its first in California, and the third of its type in the country. The others are in New Jersey, near the North American unit’s headquarters, and a 5-year-old location in New York.
Another one is scheduled to open in June in Washington, D.C. to primarily serve government customers.
The local briefing center is initially targeting nearby businesses in Orange County, and then will expand regionally, then on to the entire Western U.S.
“By putting the EBC in Irvine, it gives us access to a lot of local businesses and we see so many companies are interested in being here,” Mario DiAntonio, team leader of B2B technical account management at Samsung Electronics America, told the Business Journal.
“It just gives us very close access to them. Access is really what we were going for.”
The display business unit is ultimately part of Seoul, South Korea-based Samsung Electronics, which reported revenue that topped $210 billion last year.
Samsung Research America, which develops next-generation technologies for digital health, enterprise and security, mobility and multimedia applications, has an approximately 30,000-square-foot office across the street. The company ranks No. 9 among Orange County’s largest consumer electronics makers that have operations here, with an estimated 100 local employees (see list, page 13).
In addition to “The Wall,” the EBC features other displays such as: the first MicroLED model that the company says delivers crisp, clear images from any angle; the QLED 8K signage, the highest resolution display on the market with artificial intelligence technology aimed to capture the attention of customers, store owners and advertisers; IF Series displays with LED brightness nearly double the standard, ideal for low-light indoor environments; as well as the Samsung Flip, a portable digital flipchart with a 55-inch ultra-high definition display that supports up to four simultaneous writers.
The combination showroom, training center and event venue was designed to “meet any business need that our partners or clients have,” program manager Stephanie Man said during a demo.
The facility is geared for B2B work, collaboration and innovation.
“The door is always open,” DiAntonio said of the space.
Well, at least until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
