Andrew Moore for Upstate Business Journal:  South Korean manufacturer Samsung Electronics announced on Friday a five-year research and development partnership with the state of South Carolina and its two largest universities, Clemson University and the University of South Carolina.

The new partnership includes the creation of the Palmetto Consortium for Home Appliance Innovation, a program that aims to develop better manufacturing techniques for home appliances, foster public-private collaboration, and encourage more students to pursue advanced manufacturing as a career.

“Samsung’s ambition is for South Carolina to become our U.S. hub for every stage in the home appliance lifecycle—from concept and R&D to manufacturing, quality assurance, distribution and customer care,” said Dochul Choi, senior vice president of R&D at Samsung Electronics America. “Today’s announcement is a down payment on that vision. By investing in R&D and the future of our workforce, we can better position Samsung and South Carolina to meet the high demands and desires of customers across America, our fastest growing and most important home appliance market.”

The creation of the Consortium comes about six months after Samsung announced it would open a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Newberry where production of washers is expected to begin in 2018.  A statement issued by Samsung says there will be 1,000 local jobs created by 2020 and the company will invest $380 million into the Newberry site by 2022. In addition to its facility in Newberry, Samsung operates a call center in Greenville that supports 800 full-time and contracted jobs.

As part of the program, researchers from the University of South Carolina and Clemson University will work at Samsung’s facility in Newberry to develop new consumer electronics, energy efficient technology, advanced manufacturing technology, sensor technology and more, according to a press release.  Full Article: