LG

■ Chairman and CEO Koo promotes openness in design organizations and respect for creativity and diversity, while emphasizing the importance of design that "captures attention, excites, and creates anticipation for future products." 
 
■ The company’s goal is to lead in design by incorporating core values such as addressing customer pain points and ensuring they are reflected in mass-produced products.
 
■ CEO Koo declares full support for LG Electronics' design leaders in the face of challenges and announces plans to visit customer touchpoints and future preparation sites in Korea and around the world to encourage employees and help find ways to enhance competitiveness.
 
 
LG Corp. Chairman and CEO Kwang Mo Koo visited the Design Management Center at LG Electronics’ Seocho R&D Campus on the 17th to examine upcoming product designs and officially kick off his design-focused approach to customer value. He toured LG Electronics' design core facility to assess the competitiveness of their design capabilities and engage directly with design professionals. This proactive step serves as the initial phase in the development of products aimed at delivering distinctive customer value.
 
During his visit to the Design Management Center, Mr. Koo emphasized that design encompasses the entire process of enhancing the customer experience from the first impression to continued use and ensuring customer satisfaction.
 
"Design creates that crucial moment when customers form their first impressions of our products and feel valued enough to consider buying them,” he said. “It's what makes products stand out and inspires admiration for the thoughtfulness and convenience of using them. Ultimately, design is the whole process of refining the customer experience and satisfaction.”
 
While underscoring the importance of innovation that deeply satisfies customers, the Chairman assured LG Electronics’ design leaders of his unwavering support in overcoming any challenges they may encounter.
 
The visit was attended by Noh Chang-ho, head of LG Electronics' Design Management Center, along with design lab heads, product planning department heads, and various other emerging leaders. Chairman Koo urged design leaders to develop designs that not only capture attention, but also create excitement and anticipation for future products. “To achieve this, design organizations and the way they work must be open and respectful of creativity and diversity.” Mr. Koo also emphasized the importance of collaborating and communicating with customers from a thoroughly customer-centric perspective and staying away from internal perspectives or existing practices.
 
Noh Chang-ho, head of the Design Management Center, responded in support by outlining LG Electronics' design strategy, focusing on interpreting customer pain points and embedding them into product designs. This approach aims to secure design leadership, ensuring that designs aligned with customer values become realized in final mass production.
 
The visit concluded after Mr. Koo inspected LG’s innovative home appliances scheduled for release later in the year, including Smart Doors and wall-mounted OLED TVs. He also reviewed automotive parts, such as connected cars and digital cockpits, to ensure that their design elements exceed customer expectations.
 
Smart Doors are an entrance system that uses smart home artificial intelligence solutions. They connect the inside and outside of the home with IoT to provide valuable daily information, such as weather, schedule, as well as product status, in conjunction with home appliances. The product features advanced biometric authentication technology such as 3D facial recognition to address customer concerns about security. And refrigerated box for storing delivered fresh food are also installed in the product, reflecting the growing trend of online shopping and food delivery.
 
The wall-mounted OLED TV is an all-in-one TV that is only 19.9mm thick and can be mounted flush against the wall, providing a more immersive viewing experience. Conventional wall-mounted TVs often have an uneven back or a gap between the TV and the wall when installed. The interior and back of the TV were redesigned from the ground up, with the cables and installation parts that create the back space embedded in the body, and the entire OLED TV, including the screen, drive and speakers, glued flush against the wall for an immersive viewing experience. The wall-mounted OLED TV will be available in the first half of this year.
 
A company representative stated that the visit to the Design Management Center is the beginning of LG's efforts to revitalize operations after COVID-19, adding that, “the aim of this visit is to shift the post-COVID-19 paradigm and engage more closely with customer touchpoints and future preparation sites in Korea and overseas to boost morale and find ways to enhance competitiveness.”