Samsung to close its last TV plant in Slovakia

The logo of Samsung Electronics is seen at the company’s store in Seoul, South Korea, Apr. 15, 2025. Reuters-Yonhap

BRATISLAVA — South Korean industrial giant Samsung said Friday it would shut down its last remaining television production plant in Slovakia, its largest factory in Europe, threatening hundreds of jobs.

In 2018, Samsung shut down one of its two TV production plants located in Slovakia, merging it with the Galanta plant in the country’s southwest.

Production at the Galanta plant, will be “phased out in several stages by May 2026,” Jaroslav Zilka, vice president of Samsung Electronics Slovakia, told AFP.

The factory, which mainly manufactures LCD TVs, currently employs about 700 workers.

“The decision reflects broader structural changes in the global TV manufacturing market… One of the contributing factors is also the high energy prices in Slovakia,” Zilka said.

Slovakia’s current production will be redistributed to Samsung’s other production plants in Europe and around the world.

Employees at Galanta will gradually be laid off from late June 2026.

The company’s nearby logistics centre in Gan, which employs approximately 700 people, will continue to operate however.

Questioned about the pending closure on Friday, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico said that there “is talk of a significant decline in interest in purchasing televisions.”