As noted earlier, Samsonite sold two basic types of suitcases: hard-side and s9ft-side. Most
of the R&D was initially done in the United States, but the need to develop products for the
European market led the company to establish R&D facilities in Europe .. Samsonite invested
heavily in R&D and in the manufacture of specialized machinery to help maintain a competitive
edge. To facilitate the transportation and storage of suitcases, Samsonite located its production
facilities close to the centralized warehouse.