Samsung will be temporarily shifting some of its smartphone production to Vietnam, according to a report by Reuters. The decision for this was in response to the recent closure of its factory in Gumi, South Korea where several of its factory workers tested positive for the coronavirus.
The company states that production of “some premium smartphones” are assigned to its Vietnam factories in order to meet consumer demands timely and efficiently. Additionally, the Korean tech giant had recently globally launched three new Galaxy S20 models and the Galaxy Z Flip foldable phone.
“Once the COVID-19 situation stabilises, we plan to move back the output to Gumi,” the company said. Prior to this, Samsung had already shifted a majority of its smartphone production to Vietnam over the past decade, where it makes over 50% of its phones.
Its Gumi factory, which makes up for a small portion of the company’s handset output, was temporarily closed down in mid-February. A total of six factory employees are confirmed to be infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus after the initial report. The factory is said to have resumed production on 7 March, according to a Samsung spokeswoman.
(Source: Reuters.)
