Samsung closes second TV factory amid coronavirus crisis

Samsung announced the closure of its Hungarian TV factory due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The plant will be completely shut down by tomorrow, March 27, until the global pandemic dwindles down, the company said.The move comes merely a week after Samsung already suspended operations at its production line in Slovakia, its only other TV factory on the Old Continent. As of right now, only its Polish arm remains fully functional and is still churning out consumer electronics in Europe.Samsung’s TV factory in Hungary has been shut downSamsung Hungary also extended its mobile warranties in response to the pandemic, in addition to expanding its customer support operations, according to a Wednesday announcement from the firm. The Slovakian unit’s closure was announced without a specific end date as the company continues to reassess the situation on a regular basis, waiting for the spread of the virus to slow down on a global level.It’s to be expected Samsung will temporarily stop operations at more of its locations in the coming weeks, which would be in line with what’s been happening so far. Earlier this week, the company shut down one of its largest Latin American factories following a coronavirus outbreak in Brazil.Other than that, the chaebol already closed its U.S. stores and postponed the Samsung Foundry Forum originally scheduled for late May. It’s currently advising all employees to work from home whenever and wherever possible until the situation improves.At the same time, Samsung is still doing what it can to advance its expansion plans in Vietnam in spite of the ongoing pandemic. Most industry watchers agree the company won’t navigate the crisis completely unscathed, particularly in the semiconductor segment where notable setbacks are being projected for Q1 2020.