LG Electronics to invest 50 billion won in testing center

The LG Electronics plant in Changwon, South Gyeongsang. [LG ELECTRONICS]

LG Electronics will spend 50 billion won ($45 million) building a new testing facility in its production complex at Changwon, South Gyeongsang, starting February as a part of its push to refurbish its main manufacturing hub.

The electronics maker said on Wednesday that the new 18,800-square-meter (202,361 square foot), six-story building will subsume the existing testing line.

The testing center will allow developers to keep track of product testing remotely by attaching sensors to equipment and items being tested.

The real-time tracking, LG said, will shorten the time required for product development while better verifying the safety and conformity to standards prior to market distribution.

The Changwon plant produces a wide range of home appliances, including washing machines, vacuum cleaners and the Styler clothing steam cleaner.

Alongside the upgrade in the testing facility, the Changwon factory will undergo a broader range of refurbishment and expansion after LG Electronics pledged to spend 600 billion won through 2022 to expand and fully automate the older No. 1 plant in the complex.

The aim is to complete the renovation in 2023. An integrated control system will be adopted to manage a range of product categories once overseen in a fragmented manner.

The annual capacity of the No. 1 plant will likely increase 50 percent to three million units, according to LG Electronics in a statement.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]