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Samsung ends brand confusion

Samsung ends brand confusion GVI | Samsung and Samsung Techwin to merge into one Samsung product line

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., and CARROLLTON, Texas—In an effort to end brand confusion caused by two Samsung organizations selling video surveillance products on the worldwide market, Samsung Techwin and Samsung Electronics Video Security Products merged, effective Jan. 1. The result in North America is that Samsung Techwin and GVI Security Solutions, which has been operating as GVI | Samsung, have established a strategic partnership that will result in a single Samsung-branded product line. The words “Techwin” and “Electronics” will disappear from Samsung's branding efforts.

“We're so pleased they finally made the decision to bring the companies together,” said Steve Walin, CEO of GVI. “There's been consumers and integrators and dealers that have been confused by the fact that there were two Samsung organizations going after the same market.” Walin said he and GVI had made the argument to Samsung corporate headquarters that the confusion was damaging to both product lines and that agreement was finally reached inside the large organization to combine the two.

Walin said the benefits are numerous. “Now the market will no longer be confused,” he said. “The product line will be wider and deeper because the way the merge has taken place, they're putting both organizations together and, in essence, doubling the size of each company, especially on the R&D side. Now we'll have double the R&D. We'll continue to sell both lines until they're merged into one, when and where that makes sense.”

For the time being, at least, Samsung will keep its old Techwin headquarters in Ridgefield Park, N.J., while GVI remains headquartered in Carrollton, Texas. Further, GVI will go to market as GVI Security Solutions, without the Samsung name, and continue to sell its Auto IP software, for example. When you walk into ISC West this year, you will see separate booths for Samsung and GVI.

“They're going to maintain a corporate infrastructure,” Walin said, “and we'll continue to do what we do, and we'll work together in the market to find the best way to grow the business. They'll have regional people in the field who'll work hand in hand with our regional people.” JW Ahn, president and CEO of Samsung Techwin America, will oversee North American operations as a whole.

Walin said there are still some things to work out, but there has already been a combined sales meeting in the Carrollton offices and there have been daily calls and contact between GVI and Samsung in figuring out the details.

Walin said it's worth the organizational headache, though, because of the benefit to Samsung installers and end users, and to the market as a whole. “We now have another major global brand that's appearing on the market and getting into the security market in a big way,” he said, “and that's good for the market.”

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