LG to set up washing machine manufacturing unit in India

Bangalore, Jun 12 (UNI) LG Electronics India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of South Korea-based LG Electronics, will set up a washing machine manufacturing unit either at Noida or Pune in a year or two.

Disclosing this to newspersons here, Company Product Group Head (Washing Machines) Niladri Datta said the company already had a manufacturing unit for earlier models at its facility in Ranjangaon near Pune. However, the proposed new unit would concentrate on manufacturing new range of washing machines using ''Direct Drive'' technology. The machine under this category had already been launched in Pune, he added.

He said the new washing machines, two models in washers and four models in washer and drier combination, with a seven year warranty, offered added advantage of low energy consumption and less water usage.

To a question, Mr Datta said LG currently was a market leader in washing machines in India with a market share of 34 per cent. It planned to sell 5,000 washing machines and increase its market share by another four per cent during this year.

He said the market for washing machines in India was worth Rs 2,000 crore with a demand for 1.5 million units. The company had sold 1,10,000 top loading fully automatic and over four lakh semi-automatic machines last year.

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