[CES2020] Kwon Bong-seok "LG Rollable TV, Launching as Early as First Half of the Year"

CES Press Conference
"If Guangzhou OLED Factory Expands, Production Capacity Will Increase"

Kwon Bong-seok, President of LG Electronics

[Las Vegas (USA) = Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] LG Electronics plans to launch a rollable TV as early as the first half of this year, and no later than before the third quarter. Following Samsung Electronics' announcement of plans to release a commercial robot around June to July this year, LG Electronics also vowed to present a concrete vision for its robot business in the second half of the year.

On the 8th (local time), Kwon Bong-seok, CEO of LG Electronics, held his first press conference since taking office in Las Vegas, USA, and stated, "We plan to launch the rollable TV as early as the first half of this year."

Kwon said, "In the second half of last year, we internally debated whether it was right to produce rollable OLED panels because overall OLED panel supply was tight compared to demand," adding, "Since it is a high-priced product and technically a product that undergoes a lot of stress, we decided to take time to secure reliability."

He continued, "Once mass production starts at the Guangzhou OLED factory, there will be some leeway," and "We plan to launch it as early as the first half of this year, and no later than before the third quarter." Regarding the robot business, he said, "We plan to focus on robots that are easily accessible in daily life rather than industrial robots," and hinted, "At this exhibition, we showcased robots themed around restaurants that cook, serve, and clean. We plan to pursue the robot business in a direction that can improve efficiency through robots, such as unmanned restaurants."

He added, "We have acquired several robot-related companies and secured foundational technologies," and "By integrating partner technologies, we expect to provide specific details around the second half of this year." Kwon also emphasized that LG Electronics will boldly pursue digital transformation to drive growth and change while focusing on the 'essence of business' that delivers value to customers.

As an example, Kwon said, "You don't have to read all the tiny cooking instructions on instant food; just taking a picture with a smartphone automatically sends the instructions to the microwave or oven. This can be considered a digital transformation," and explained, "If individual devices are connected from an open perspective, customer value can be enhanced."

He also stressed, "In the mobile sector, considering changes in product lineups and the launch of new market-leading premium products, we have set a goal to turn around in 2021 and will strive to achieve that."

Regarding the strategy to popularize OLED TVs, he mentioned, "OLED panel production is increasing dramatically, and LG Display should soon prepare for an era of selling 10 million OLED TVs." However, he noted, "The global demand for OLED TVs priced above $2,000, which we recognize as premium, does not exceed 3 million units," and added, "We also feel the need to expand the OLED TV lineup downward."

Regarding the recent issue with clothes dryers, he apologized, saying, "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience experienced by customers." Kwon explained the background of the 10-year free warranty policy, stating, "Compensation for customers was discussed, but we judged that it would be difficult to simply cover it up by compensating customers who experienced inconvenience with a small amount," and continued, "Although the 10-year free repair policy involves higher costs, it is a measure to improve quality over the next 10 years for the parts that caused problems."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.