98
JULY 2015
US suitcasemanufacturer Samsonite is looking toGPS tracking and
microchip technology to transform the humble suitcase into a smarter,
more responsive product. The company, which posted a 5.8% rise in
profits to €168million for the past financial year on the back of annual
sales of €2.1 billion, is planning to produce smart bags that will allow
their owners to track their location.
The company is developing the new suitcase in partnershipwith Cheil
Worldwide, (part of the Samsung group) in South Korea. The idea is that
an implanted chipwill relay location data to the owner’smobile phone
via an app. Passengers owning one of Samsonite’s smart suitcases
pairedwith themobile phonewill receive an alert once it is about to
reach the carousel. Samsonite says that further down the line owners
will receive alerts on other points of the suitcase’s journey, from the
hold to baggage reclaim. The new technology could also feature anti-
tampering alerts that will kick in if a suitcase is opened and another
towarnwhen its owner strays too far away. Samsonite is alsoworking
towards a bag that will check itself in once the
owner enters the airport. The smart suitcase
is one of a range of innovations; a bagwith a
self-propelling engine, capable of following its
owners is next on its wishlist. Itmay be a blue-
sky idea for the time being, but the search is on
for an engine that is both light and small enough
tomake the idea viable.
Samsonite is currently the global market
leader and its financial results are underpinned
by strong growth in year-on-year sales. The US
company’s European research and development
facility is located in Belgium, where 750 employees work on a state-
of-the-art production line. The factory inOudenaarde is a highly
automated facilitywhere onemachine produces 1,200 items a day,
and there is also a factory inHungary.
samsonite.com
As Portugal emerges from the Eurozone crisis, one homegrown business is capitalising on the trend for combining traditional standards with
a cutting-edgemodern aesthetic. Situated in the centre of Portugal, in one of the country’smost notablewine-producing regions, Quinta de
Lemos encompasses a vineyard andwine cellar, restaurant, guesthouse and textile business. Established by businessman Celso de Lemos,
who purchased the Dão Valley vineyard close to Viseu in themid-1990s, the showpiece of this family-run business is an architect-designed
centrewhere guests andwine aficionados alike can sample the award-winning portfolio. Completed in 2012 and designed by architects
Carvalho Araújo, the glass and concrete structure reflects the rugged local topography and includes three guestrooms, a dining room and lap
pool. The company’s textile business, Abyss &Habidecor, produces rugs, towels and bed linen from two local factories and sells through
outlets in Belgium, the US and China.
quintadelemos.com
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The rate theBrazilian real depreciatedover
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Smart technology’s in thebag forSamsonite
