Next month, LG Electronics will reach a milestone — 25th anniversary in India. The years have been kind to the South Korean company as every other household has something or the other from LG, be it washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, microwaves or television. Ahead of the milestone, the company has launched a slew of products — with a good deal of AI — in India. We caught up with Deepak Bansal, vice-president, home appliances and air conditioners, LG Electronics in Delhi for a quick chat. This is what he had to say.
What are the core factors that distinguish LG home appliances from those of rival brands?
Product is only a part of the overall LG experience. Core to the LG DNA is keeping the ear close to the ground, knowing the customer well and their unmet needs well in advance. We did a detailed research around consumer insights and identified what drives consumers in a post-pandemic era.
One of our core pillars is style quotient. People are becoming uncompromising style seekers. The second pillar involves a trend we have seen evolve during the pandemic — do it yourself. Everybody was working on their own. The typical need of convenience and comfort arise from that. Consumers are saying: “Simplify my life.” If I have to do washing, please simplify it. What is the wash load, what is the fabric type, which wash programme should one use… that is where the elements of comfort and convenience come in.
Technology is obviously an important element….
Yes, how we can create convenience based on technology. How products can be smarter? It needs to understand the pattern in which we are functioning and that’s where AI comes into the picture.
We love Sachin Tendulkar because of his core strength, that is, cricket, even though he has several other facets. While our consumers are style seekers, could be looking at comfort but one thing remains uncompromising — core performance of a product. For example, cooling. In refrigerators there is a door-cooling function, which adds another level. There are vents on the door and it is India’s first brand with this technology. The cooling is evenly spread out and the cooling is faster. Next, dual-inverter air conditioners with dual-rotary compressors, which enhance energy efficiency, cooling speed and the flow of air. It helps with the performance of the product. Next, direct-drive motor on our washing machines. These machines enhance washing performance. You will find LG microwaves that use 88 per cent less oil during cooking.
Finally, health. Needless to say, the quest for better health is on everyone’s mind. No longer do we need to be told that a hand sanitser is a must wherever we go. When the time comes when we can look back at the pandemic, I am sure health-related habits won’t change.
There’s a lot of AI involved in your home appliances. And these bring about a meaningful change….
If you see our washing machines, anybody can go and wash their clothes with the best possible technology. I know my son can. Simply load the machine and it will know the load capacity. AI determines the softness of the fabric, which programme to be used, so that we have good fabric care. When we talk about AI, there is ThinkQ, which is unique to LG. You can control all the products remotely. If you switch on the washer and, say, there is a 60-minute cycle, after the time period even if you are away from home, you can switch off the machine. It is also in our air conditioners and refrigerators. There is also smart learning involved. For example, consumer pattern in opening and closing refrigerator doors, it automatically absorbs and optimises the cooling speed. This is all meaningful AI. We are calling it AI with purpose. This is convenience through AI which is personalised and with purpose. The two of us have different habits and AI will personalise features for each.
How are health and hygiene important elements in your new line-up?
When we talk about refrigerators, there is a hygiene care function, which removes odour of rotten veggies and fruits. We have a UV Nano function, which is at the nozzle of our side-by-side refrigerator dispenser. Automatically, after every hour, it cleanses with UV rays. We are coming up with a new range of designer microwave series. It will be a series mainly for vegetarians and there will be an auto-cook menu, which is an AI function.
Much of LG’s success owes to your service network, which is probably the most efficient in India….
We have almost 800 service centres and more than 10,000 service engineers work to deliver the best experience. It has been key to achieving success. We are number one across categories — AC, refrigerators, microwaves… we have been winning hearts with trust and that’s something one can’t buy through marketing. It all depends on service. We are the most trusted brand in India because of our service.
How much of your R&D work gets done in India?
We have a big team here, a design team. The core technology part is done mostly in South Korea and when we talk about insight-based products for India, like stylish designs, it gets done at the local level. The core tech is coming from headquarters. But style is something unique to India. The colour red is much talked about in south India while grey and silver are popular in the north. In Bangalore, front-loading washing machines are very popular. It all depends on the habits of people.
There is product market survey that gets done by our team from HQ. Each year a big team comes in from Korea to gather local insights. When we talk of AI, it is something we are seeing globally. But when we talk of washing machines, twin-tub machines or single-door refrigerators, all the R&D gets done specifically from an India perspective because globally there are more two-door refrigerators and automatic washing machines.
What plans for the 25th anniversary?
It’s been a long journey. In May we will celebrate our 25th anniversary. We are in leadership position across categories and we are growing faster than competition. And our entire vision is to become absolute number one, that is, in a position where the second placeholder is 10 percentage point behind in terms of market share.
New additions
Frost-free refrigerators: The new range is enabled with ThinQ which allows remote access to the refrigerator and comes with E-micom by which you can control the temperature settings without opening the door. It also has Door Cooling+. Available in four capacities — 340L, 360L, 408L and 423L (priced upwards of Rs 43,999).
Dishwasher: LG has recently added matt black dishwasher to its existing range. This latest model is equipped with True Steam and Quad Wash feature which ensures sparkling-clean dishes. Inverter Direct Drive turns in a quiet, efficient yet reliable performance. Priced upwards of Rs 64,990.
LG PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier: It’s a product equipped with a set of HEPA filters, dual fans, IPX4 technology, and much more to help with quality air purification. The device comes with rechargeable battery that can last up to eight hours in low mode. Priced upwards of Rs 20,990.
LG VIRAAT Super five-star air conditioners: It comes with a 5.2 ISEER rating and improved efficiency of 11 per cent as compared to conventional five-star air conditioner with 4.7 ISEER rating. Priced upwards of Rs 65,990.
UF+UV water purifiers: It’s equipped with eight liters of stainless steel storage tank with In Tank UV. The purifier uses Electrostatic absorption to eliminate virus from the water. Further, the Ultra Filtration does not affect the TDS of the water resulting in zero water wastage. Priced: Rs 20,299.