What It's Like Inside The Factory Where Samsung Builds Your Galaxy Phone
When you think of what it takes to crank out the tens of millions of smartphones and tablets sold each year, images of crowded, disgusting worker dorms and grueling factory floor conditions probably come to mind.
We've all heard the stories. We've seen the photos.
That's not what Samsung's mobile device factory in Gumi, South Korea was like when I visited in early April. The facility, which resembles a college campus more than a manufacturing center, is spotted with well-manicured outdoor recreational areas that have soothing music pumping from outdoor speakers disguised as rocks.
Gumi is a factory town that's about a three-hour drive south of Seoul. At the center of the city, you can see a bunch of factories from major Korean electronics companies like LG and Samsung with company housing, shopping malls, and restaurants dotted around it. Workers typically live in company-subsidized apartments that border each manufacturing center.
Most of the workers at Samsung's factory appeared to be young women in their late teens and early-to-mid twenties. The Samsung guide who gave me and a few other journalists a tour of the factory said many workers join the company right after high school if they're unable to go to college. A lot of them end up leaving the factory when they're ready to get married and start a family, but Samsung also offers college courses at night for employees who want to further their education.Workers are rated on their performance too. Along one wall of the factory floor, there's a giant bulletin board with each employee's photo and a quantified rating of how well they're doing. The board fosters competition, a constant reminder for workers that the floor bosses are keeping tabs on everything they do.
Samsung
The Gumi factory isn't Samsung's only manufacturing facility where it makes the Galaxy S5 and other gizmos. Samsung has factories all of the world, so it's tough to tell if what I saw in Gumi is representative of the company's entire manufacturing network. It's very possible things aren't as rosy in the poorer countries where Samsung operates.
Still, it was fascinating to see. Unlike some of its rivals, Samsung is in the unique position of being able to control all aspects of its smartphone production from chips to screens to software to assembly.
Disclosure: Samsung paid for a portion of our trip to South Korea for this story, including the flight and some meals. Business Insider paid for most expenses, including lodging, meals, and other transportation.
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