NEWBERRY — Samsung Electronics America announced a new research and development partnership with the state of South Carolina, Clemson University and the University of South Carolina.

Together they will create the Palmetto Consortium for Home Appliance Innovation [PCHAI], a research and development program designed to catalyze innovation, foster public/private collaboration and nurture the next generation of advanced manufacturing professionals in South Carolina.

“This is a unique thing we see today with this partnership, developed between great, imaginative, innovative industrial leader and two great imaginative, powerful research universities all collaborating to make this happen,” said Governor Henry McMaster during Friday’s press conference. “This great family partnership is going to provide innovation that will transcend the appliance business and will go into all the new innovative, imaginative things our research universities have been doing, empowered additionally by the power of this major world company.”

The creation of the Consortium comes six months after Samsung announced it would open a new state-of-the-art home appliance manufacturing plant in Newberry where production of washers will begin in the first quarter of 2018.

The mission of the new partnership, which will be implemented over five years, is to enable world class research into areas such as new consumer electronics, energy efficient technology, advanced manufacturing technology, sensor technology, and other areas that are core to the innovation and production of quality home appliances.

“We are here for research and development, in the past six months we have made significant progress in Newberry, from hiring our team, to putting down roots,” said Dr. Dolchul Choi, senior vice president of research and development, Samsung Electronics. “We are grateful to be welcomed with such open arms by the people of Newberry County, and the state of South Carolina by Governor McMaster.”

Choi continued by saying that they have identified the need to employ talented, highly skilled and local workers in a broad range of advance manufacturing roles.

It (the Consortium) will nurture the next generation of advance manufacturing professionals in South Carolina. Our goals are for this to be the epicenter of research and development into consumer electronics, efficient technology, advance manufacturing technology, sensor technology and other areas critical to the innovation and production of quality home appliances, to begin with, but all other types of industrial progress, innovation, imaginations, as we move forward,” McMaster said.

Dr. James Clements, president of Clemson University, said while the name might be new, the reality is they have been focused, for more than a decade, on providing such needed engineering talent and research related advance manufacturing.

“We have partnered with corporations and those partnerships allow us to develop and recruit the best faculty, staff and students,” he said. “With this announcement today, we are very proud to add Samsung to our list of partners.”

“There are many households across this state where separate laundry is done, the garnet laundry and the orange laundry. Not in Newberry, and never by Samsung. We are going to put the garnet and the orange laundry in together, now it’s going to come out separately, and that’s what a smart washing machine can do,” said Dr. Harris Pastides, president of the University of South Carolina.

Pastides added that the state of South Carolina doesn’t want to just be the friendliest, sunniest and most hospitable state, but the smartest as well.

“Samsung has been on the frontier of R&D for decades, Samsung would not be here today if it were only about hospitality, friendliness and sunshine,” he said.

Dr. Dolchul Choi talks about Samsung innovation.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_DSC_0049-2.jpgDr. Dolchul Choi talks about Samsung innovation. Andrew Wigger | The Newberry Observer

The contracts are signed on the new partnership with Samsung, South Carolina, University of South Carolina and Clemson University.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_DSC_0104-2.jpgThe contracts are signed on the new partnership with Samsung, South Carolina, University of South Carolina and Clemson University. Andrew Wigger | The Newberry Observer

Governor Henry McMaster discusses the new partnership.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_DSC_0056-2.jpgGovernor Henry McMaster discusses the new partnership. Andrew Wigger | The Newberry Observer

Dr. James Clements discusses Clemson’s role in the partnership.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_DSC_0068-2.jpgDr. James Clements discusses Clemson’s role in the partnership. Andrew Wigger | The Newberry Observer

Dr. Harris Pastides discusses USC’s role in the partnership.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_DSC_0087-2.jpgDr. Harris Pastides discusses USC’s role in the partnership. Andrew Wigger | The Newberry Observer

By Andrew Wigger

awigger@newberryobserver.com

Reach Andrew Wigger at 803-276-0625 ext. 1867 or on Twitter @ TheNBOnews.