Steven Pollok from Samsung explains in the invidis annual commentary why energy efficiency must be the focus of 2024. And how holistic solutions wants to pursue holistic solutions in the new year.
2023 was an eventful year for the German display market. Digital signage solutions were on the rise in a wide range of industries. With the ISE, we set the course for successful business right at the start of the year, in which we also responded to the demand for more energy-efficient solutions and expanded local European production with the production plant for The Wall in Bratislava.
Right from the start, we pursued a strategy based on a long-term commitment to the German market, reliability and joint growth plans with our partners and customers. We were able to significantly strengthen this cooperation once again last year and are also focusing on expansion in the new year, as this is the only way we can meet the trend towards more individual and very specific requirements with holistic concepts. We are seeing a clear development from the demand for individual products to comprehensive solutions that can offer sustainable added value.
Efforts for energy efficiency and local production
At ISE 2023, Samsung presented its sustainability initiatives in all phases of the product life cycle. This was based on the environmental strategy announced in September 2022. For example, a modern housing design for the new smart signage displays (QHC, QMC, QBC) leads to a reduction in installation depth of around 40 percent, which in turn allows the loading container capacities to be reduced by more than 20 percent. Various certifications such as the Energy Star or the Carbon Trust for some of our product ranges confirm our efforts to protect the environment. At the same time, we have created new opportunities for the European market with the production of The Wall in Slovakia. Local production in Europe not only ensures that we are less vulnerable here, but also enables us to shorten lead times and respond more flexibly to market requirements.
Digital transformation processes in corporate and educational institutions
After the pandemic years saw companies focus in particular on home office scenarios and flexible working models, the role of the office has come back into focus over the past year. Many employers and employees want hybrid working models in which time spent in the office is used for meetings and creative exchange. This is why meeting and communal spaces with collaborative tools that promote cooperation are in demand. At Samsung, we keep an eye on these developments and advise our customers with holistic concepts for experience-oriented office equipment that can contribute to increased employee loyalty, noticeable increases in efficiency and also to close customer relationships.
The education sector is also increasingly focusing on collaboration and digitalization. The urgency of the topic is reflected, for example, in the Conference of Education Ministers’ call for an extension of the Digital Pact. Among other things, this involves empowering teachers to use digital tools correctly and constructively. With the new WAC series, Samsung further expanded its educational technology last year and launched another product for modern collaborative teaching approaches.
LED displays in the advertising and film industry
We were also able to make our mark in the film industry with our optimized models of The Wall for Virtual Production. For example, our LED displays helped to produce scenes virtually during the shooting of director Florian Frerichs’ “Traumnovelle” at Filmstudio Babelsberg. Commitments like this open doors to this technology, especially for filmmakers outside of ultra-high-budget productions.
The market for DooH has also recovered significantly. Our product innovations in this area address the different requirements of the industry. The XHB series was developed for professional use in the event/sports sector and for outdoor use.
Premium monitors become all-rounders
In the area of monitors, we had set ourselves the goal of playing more strongly in the premium segment, both in the business and gaming sectors. With the new Viewfinity and Odyssey models, we made good progress in 2023, and with the Odyssey Neo G9, we are offering a hybrid model for gaming and office in 57 inches with the world’s first dual UHD resolution. In addition, the monitor sector will be dominated by “Toolless Assembly” in 2024. In future, many of our new products will not only be easy to assemble, but will also require no tools at all during installation.
Holistic solutions for 2024
Flexible and customizable products and energy-efficient all-round solutions will continue to play a major role in the new year. I see MicroLED in particular as a promising solution for the future. The suitability of products for mass production will continue to increase. In future, the display size will be defined by the smallest “tile”, which can be scaled as required according to the modular principle and expanded to meet individual needs. With The Wall products, we are excellently positioned in the premium segment.
However, in order to fully meet the market’s need for holistic solutions and to combine all components into corresponding overall systems, it is not enough to simply continue developing the hardware. In future, manufacturers will also have to think more about the software. With Samsung VXT CMS, which we will be launching at ISE 2024, we have created a holistic system to manage hardware and use resources efficiently. The cloud-based solution for digital signage displays enables flexible and efficient operation as well as fast setup and system recovery. It also offers intuitive content creation and management functions. This enables companies to unlock the powerful potential of our business displays. In this way, we meet the demand for all-round solutions that exploit the possibilities of digitized processes.