Redakcja Choose TV
This is not just an ordinary restructuring but the closure of one of the most important chapters in the history of the Slovak industry. After 24 years of operation, Samsung Electronics Slovakia is winding down production in Galanta. Although this process has been planned as gradual, the end date is already unforgiving – May 2026 will mark the moment when the legendary factory will finally say goodbye to the assembly of TV sets. For our region, this is a significant blow, especially since this plant has been a symbol of modernity and job stability in this part of Europe for decades.
Why is Samsung leaving Slovakia?
The official message coming from Samsung Electronics Slovakia indicates primarily drastic structural changes in the global market and rising energy costs, which in Slovakia have become too great a burden. Samsung reassures that the decision is not politically motivated; however, industry experts (about whom we will talk shortly) view the matter more broadly. The main culprit appears to be the increasingly fierce competition from Chinese giants like TCL and Hisense, who are aggressively taking market shares.
120 million historical screens
To understand the scale of what we are losing, it's worth looking at the hard data. According to a study by Tomasz Chmielewski from the TVTEST portal, the factory in Galanta has produced a staggering number of 100 to 120 million devices since its opening! In its golden years, this facility was truly the "heart" of Europe, releasing up to 7 million televisions annually. The author points out that the vast majority of these devices reached the market under the Samsung brand, building the company's power on our continent.
What do the last months of production look like?
Currently, the factory is in a "winding down" phase, which is associated with a systematic decrease in production capacity. Estimates prepared by Mr. Tomasz allow for a precise timeline of the last breaths of Galanta:
Month (2026) | Estimated production (units) |
January | ~120,000 |
February | ~100,000 |
March | ~75,000 |
April | ~40,000 |
May | ~15,000 |
TOTAL | ~350,000 |
Uncertain fate of 750 workers
The most important and painful aspect of the whole operation is the fate of the people who built the power of this place and whatever you say about Samsung in Europe. Currently, around 750 people are employed at the factory in Galanta. For many of them, working at Samsung has been their only job for most of their professional lives. According to rumours, the process of job cuts is set to begin at the end of June 2026.
The shutdown of the factory in Slovakia does not mean Samsung is completely pulling out of this part of Europe. A key move in the "global optimisation" is the transfer of television and screen production to the plant in Jászfényszaru in Hungary. It is this Hungarian factory that will take over some of the current tasks from Galanta, becoming the manufacturing hub for the corporation in continental Europe.
Engineering Instead of Marketing Hype
The closure of Galanta is an alarm signal for Samsung. As Mr Tomasz rightly pointed out on his TVTEST page: Samsung must rethink its product strategy. In the era of cheaper and better TVs from China. You can no longer win solely through marketing. The industry expects the giant to return to its roots, which means focusing on innovations that are actually visible on the screen, not just in advertising brochures. A great testament to the brand's potential was 2022 and the premiere of the S95B model. It was Samsung's first TV with a QD-OLED panel and immediately earned the title of the most groundbreaking and cost-effective display on the market.
We too hope that Samsung will prioritise technological quality and prove in the coming years that it still has engineers in its ranks who can surprise the world.
Source: TVTEST TCh
