SEOUL — Samsung Electronics has secured the highest possible rating on South Korea's Shared Growth Index for the 15th consecutive year, cementing its status as a pioneer in corporate supply chain collaboration.

The distinction, announced by the Shared Growth Commission, evaluates major corporations on how effectively they foster mutual growth with smaller vendors. Samsung remains the sole domestic enterprise to maintain a top-tier rating every year since the index's inception in 2011.

The tech giant’s longevity in cooperative management stems from a comprehensive support framework that addresses four key pillars: financial liquidity, technological advancement, manufacturing floor modernization, and human resource development. Crucially, Samsung’s outreach extends beyond its immediate tier-1 through tier-3 suppliers, reaching non-affiliated small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across South Korea.

Broad Financial and Tech Initiatives

Financial backing remains a cornerstone of Samsung's strategy. Through a 1.4 trillion-won win-win fund established in 2010, the company supplies low-interest loans to help vendors finance facility expansions and R&D. In parallel, Samsung has actively transferred thousands of proprietary patents free of charge to external SMEs, allowing companies outside its formal supply chain to leverage advanced technologies.

Manufacturing innovation has similarly evolved. Since 2015, Samsung has deployed elite manufacturing experts directly to small business floors to revamp production lines through its smart factory initiative. Upgraded this year to "Smart Factory 4.0," the program now integrates cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions. To date, over 3,600 domestic manufacturing sites have modernized operations through the initiative.

Rooted in a Vision of Shared Prosperity

Company officials attribute this sustained momentum to the leadership philosophy of Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who introduced the corporate social responsibility vision, "Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People," in 2019. The framework reframes corporate giving as an investment in the growth potential of society.

This philosophy also drives Samsung’s startup incubation engine, C-Lab. Originally launched in 2012 as an internal incubator, C-Lab expanded into "C-Lab Outside" to mentor external startups and regional businesses. Having nurtured 1,000 internal and external ventures to date, programs like the recent 2026 C-Lab Startup Demo Day actively pair emerging enterprises with Samsung teams for real-world technology verification and joint business development.

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