LG plans to invest US $500 million to increase its workforce as well as its research and development (R&D) of the green technology initiative. The move is aimed at helping the Korean electronics giant to achieve US $10 billion in global sales by 2013 in their home appliance business.
According to George Mudhune, Regional Marketing Manager LG Electronics in East Africa, the company is now investing millions of shillings in Research and development to innovate energy saving products especially products using LED lighting and solar power.
“We have a dedicated team to support the consultants and developers in the concept and design stage of our home appliance products. We are confident that the investment into green technology will reduce the burden on the power grid which is currently running on peak,” he said.
Mudhune said with the establishment of a full line-up of air conditioning systems, LG is planning to evolve into a total solution provider for the Middle East and Africa market.
Through this investment, LG has also built up its technical capabilities, by constructing a custom-built AC Academy at Jebel Ali,Dubai which has been LEED Silver certified, where LG is customizing products to the needs of Middle East and Africa consumers.
The AC Academy at Jebel Ali will be complimented by the recently launched Academy in Kenya which will train technical experts in Eastern and Central Africa in the installation and proper use of Air-conditioners. LG Electronics also aims to further heighten the reliability of LG’s products by ensuring they are equipped to work in all weather conditions.
On the other hand, LG has also announced its plans to become a major player in global energy solutions market by introducing the 3rd version of existing tropical Multi V III air-conditioner, and the newly released VRF Air Handling Unit (AHU) within Middle East and Africa (MEA) markets.
The Multi V III boasts a 4.6 coefficient of performance (COP) for heating and 4.3 for cooling, as well as a bigger capacity per unit with an extended piping length of 1,000m.
In addition, LG’s HSS Inverter Compressor greatly enhances efficiency on the Multi V III, reducing energy use by up to 11 percent compared with previous models. LG’s VRF Air Handling Unit (AHU), integrated control system allows users to manage air conditioning for an entire building.
The AHU provides outstanding heating, cooling and outdoor fresh air conditioning while saving energy. These AHU’s can be used for 100percent fresh air application or re-circulating air application.
Based around these advanced solutions, LG plans to aggressively expand its market share in MEA commercial air conditioning this year.
“We have a dedicated team to support the consultants and developers in the concept, design stage, as well as a dedicated team for contractors in the post-tender stage and a dedicated team for facilities management companies. Also the local AC Academy provides training and certifies all contractors to reduce operational headaches due to improper installation. We are confident that this technology will reduce the burden on the power grid which is currently running on peak.”