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 Main | Archive | Issue 6/2008
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Samsung Electronics in Kaluga: From Investment to Innovation
Column: Kaluga Phenomenon
In June 2007, a contract for the construction of a plant for manufacturing liquid crystal TV sets in the “Vorsino” industrial park was concluded between the government of the Kaluga Region and the company Samsung Electronics. The document was signed during the 11th St. Petersburg International Investment Forum. By the end of 2011, the total amount of money invested will be 3.5 billion rubles. As a result of the implementation of the project - its first stage will be commissioned in August 2008 - 1,200 new jobs should be created. By 2011, the Samsung plant is to reach its full design capacity and put out up to 6 million TV sets.
We considered the Kaluga Region’s experience in attracting major foreign investments one of its assets compared to other regions of Russia. One year after signing the contract, we can state that we made the right choice. The regional government promised to actively take part in developing the production site. The linking up of engineering and technical supply networks to the plant jobsite was personally supervised by Governor A.D. Artamonov. In less than five months, our company got access to power, gas and water supply networks. The road adjacent to the plant was repaved. From the very start, we regarded the proximity to Moscow and the Moscow Region to be one of the advantages of the Kaluga Region. As the implementation of the project advanced, this proximity became especially relevant. Even before production was launched, the closeness to logistical and transportation hubs helped us save both time and money.
The presence of special institutions is a distinctive feature of the Kaluga Region. First of all, there is the institution of subvention, i.e., reimbursing part of the taxes paid by strategic investors into the local budget. Agencies that accompany foreign investors in their contacts with state authorities and suppliers of energy resources are yet another institution. Finally, the openness and trust between our company and the state bodies regulating economic activities inside the region are a factor of no small importance that has reduced the risks in implementing the project.
Even though the plant has not yet been put into operation, it already has more than 100 employees most of whom are Kaluga Region’s residents and graduates of local colleges. Most of the engineers and technicians have taken a training course at the Samsung plant in Hungary where they learned the specifics and production standards of Samsung and familiarized themselves with the most sophisticated technological equipment.
This is why we confidently look into the future and expect the products made at the Samsung plant in the Kaluga Region to meet the highest quality standards and be competitive on the Russian market. We also hope that the innovative solutions in management, production, and logistics that our company has always been known for will help make the Samsung Electronics plant in the Kaluga Region one of the leading manufacturers of electronic equipment in Russia.
Byon U Nam,
General Director, Samsung Electronics Rus Kaluga.
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