Samsung factory that made ‘exploding’ Note 7 batteries catches fire

Samsung Electronics says the Galaxy S smartphone could be delayed as it pledged to enhance product safety.

Samsung factory fire in China. Picture: Weibo

REMEMBER how Samsung had faulty batteries that caused a global recall of the Galaxy Note 7 because smartphones kept exploding?

Well, the company affiliate responsible for manufacturing the faulty batteries has been embarrassed once more, as one of its factories in China burst into flames.

Despite manufacturing batteries at the plant, Samsung SDI claim the fire was "minor" and was caused by a pile of discarded batteries in its waste facility - not those currently on the production line.

Samsung added there was no casualties or significant enough damage to cease the plant's operations.

Despite making it sound minor, the local fire department were required to send 110 firefighters and 19 trucks to put out the fire.

"[The] material that caught fire was lithium batteries inside the production workshops and some half-finished products," the fire department said in a post on its verified Sina Weibo account, reports Reuters.

Regardless of the cause, the incident is a bad look for the Samsung, with the affiliate company supplying the batteries for Samsung's upcoming flagship smartphone Galaxy S8.

Samsung SDI was one of two suppliers that provided batteries for the recalled phones — an issue the tech giant claimed cost it $A6.9 billion in operating profit.

Florida man Nathan Dornacher says a Note 7 charging on the dashboard of his Jeep exploded and set the vehicle ablaze. Picture: FacebookSource:Supplied

Since the incident, the South Korean company invested $A170 million into safety.

Samsung will be hoping this latest setback doesn't lose consumer trust with the upcoming S8 device, as the company is hoping to become the world's biggest smartphone maker once again — Apple overtook the South Korean giant earlier this month.

The S8 is rumoured to include the 3.5mm headphone jack, an edge-to-edge screen and iris scanner.

Thousands of protesters rallied in central Seoul, Saturday, demanding the immediate resignation of President Park Geun-hye. Divided from the protesters by a line police stood several thousand pro-government supporters, who waved the national flag and chanted "invalid impeachment." The President is currently facing impeachment proceedings after being accused of conspiring to extort tens of millions of dollars from South Korean businesses along with her confidante Choi Soon-sil. Park is accused of granting her friend undue influence over her presidential decisions, which allegedly allowed Choi to solicit business donations for her own non-profit fund. The constitutional court has six months to rule on the validity of Park's impeachment. The demonstrators also denounced the court ruling against the arrest of Vice President of Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae-yong, who had faced charges of bribery, embezzlement and perjury in the corruption scandal involving Park. Earlier in the day, Sout h Korean Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun was detained on suspicion of involvement in compiling a blacklist of artists, who were deemed critical of Park. Cho is reportedly the first South Korean acting minister to be arrested.

Source: Samsung factory that made 'exploding' Note 7 batteries catches fire