At the Salon des Maires, Samsung presented its latest innovations

Paris Posters: Why do you have a stand at the Salon des Maires?

Frederick Faucher : Samsung is a provider of mobile solutions for companies in the private sector as well as in the public sector. We are now appealing to all ministries, central departments and local authorities to propose solutions that support them in their digital transformation for a more digitized public sector. So we attend the Mayors’ Fair to meet the local authorities we work with, to present all our solutions for education, transformation of civil servants or even good management of dependency and ageing. .

A.-P. : What are the solutions?

FF: These are dynamic screen systems installed in municipalities so that citizens can find their way, find themselves, and have dynamic information. You also have digital education solutions, because municipalities are especially responsible for municipal schools. These are solutions that allow classrooms to be equipped with tablets or PCs, while also allowing teachers to manage the classroom with online tutorials and ensure that all students are on the same page at the same time. This saves time, of course, makes work easier and secures workstations.

A.-P. : Are tablets in schools also offered to students by municipalities?

FF: At the municipal level, the tablet is a perfect tool in consultation mode. Learning to read, foreign languages, math or even education. This allows us to introduce some pedagogical concepts in a somewhat unusual way. So a tablet is a very good tool for that. And in colleges, we are either on tablets or computers.

A.-P. : What are your goals today? Is the competition tough for Samsung, especially with Apple?

FF: It’s still a great contender and will be tomorrow. But it’s encouraging to have quality competitors who always push us to reinvent ourselves. And that’s why we always strive to create more innovative solutions and products that allow us to differentiate ourselves. When it comes to the equipment of public officials, we offer hardened products that allow us to equip them, whereas yesterday they could not be equipped because the products did not meet their needs in terms of ergonomics or resistance. These are things that we develop very regularly to bring different things to the market. Back to the topic of education, competition is a very healthy thing because it gives municipalities choice and pushes us to be better. We will make the difference mainly through the quality of the equipment and a very innovative and very simple approach to using the solutions.

A.-P. : Of course, price also makes it possible to be more competitive?

FF: The cost is obvious. When you go to the public sector, you need the best return on investment for the municipality. When citizens finance such an approach, they must give the impression of having the best value for money. And in this, Samsung is an extremely serious competitor in the market.

A.-P. : Samsung is originally from South Korea. Are some products made in Europe and France?

FF: In France, no. In Europe, yes. But mostly products such as household appliances that are too heavy to transport: refrigerators, televisions, etc. For other products, a smartphone or tablet, you can easily put it on a commercial flight. Therefore, factories are located in Vietnam, India and China.

A.-P. : Is it to reduce risks in case of geopolitical crises?

FF: For France, there is an important line of international partnership, it is France-South Korea-Japan. South Korea has an agreement with the European Union and France. All data exchange is considered extremely secure. Then, we are not dependent on the Chinese market, because today we are the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the world, and when you buy a Samsung tablet or smartphone, we have screens, batteries, storage solutions. We do not live in autarky, but we manage to optimize all integration cycles to be as less dependent on others as possible and more reliable in our ability to deliver the right product, at the right time, to the right place. It’s a fully integrated supply chain and we’ve done very well in the past.

A.-P. : What are your development goals in France?

FF: Today, we are a leading brand in the corporate and public sector mobility market. This is not the case as we still have a lot of progress to make in all segments, especially in education, which is why we are participating in the Show. It’s good to have solutions, innovative products, but we need to inform as many people as possible. Working with municipalities remains a rather demanding process, as it implies very strong delocalization and decentralization. We need to have this ability to deliver our offer to 35,000 municipalities in a somewhat delocalized manner. And this kind of event allows us to reach as many people as possible, publicize our solutions, our offer and have a more commercial approach with a strong distribution network of 5,000 resellers who deliver our offer to local authorities. On the other hand, we are very committed to being able to demonstrate our solutions ourselves, explain to the public sector what their added value is and why they make a difference in the market.