/24-7PressRelease/ - LONDON, UK, August 19, 2008 - The facilities were formally opened by HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, in a ceremony attended by leading members of local government and the UK's design community.
The Duke of York, who also opened LGE's European headquarters in Slough, UK last year, attended in his role as the Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.
The Duke of York stated, "The UK has long proven itself to be a strong, positive environment for the creative industries, as well as a European base for many multi-national businesses. We are seeing growing investment by companies such as LGE in design facilities here and they are very welcome. LGE could have chosen any of several global cities for this centre. That they chose London is
tremendous news for the UK and testament to the world-class business environment we are creating here."
The purpose of LGE's new Design Centre is to create European designs based on European consumers' requirements. The designers will also be called upon to adapt products that will appeal to the European market, but which have been developed elsewhere.
The opening of the Centre also reflects LGE's new business strategy, with increased investment into research and development feeding into regional design capabilities. LGE will be investing over USD4.8 million into design programs in Europe in 2008 alone. The first fully European designed product, a mobile handset, is to be unveiled soon.
LGE's European Design Centre will house a multi-national team of 22 expert designers by 2009, from across Europe. The current team already includes British, Irish, Italian, French and German designers. They will design products for LGE's entire range of consumer goods including; mobile handsets and devices, flat-screen TV's and audio systems, white-goods and other home electronics. It joins a global network of 6 Design Centers, which are part of a wider network including 29 Research and Development Centers. All together, these Centers employ 16,000 staff - almost a fifth of LGE's global workforce.
"Our new European Design Centre has been established to provide our design team with the optimum creative environment, which includes extensive libraries and leading technologies to aid in the design process. There are significant cultural and technical differences between Europe and other markets. As a result, for LGE to grow its market presence in Europe it must invest in and be sensitive to the consumer's requirements, while responding to technical and cultural differences," said Mr. James Kim, president and CEO of LG Electronics Europe.
From his end, the General Manager of LGE Amman, Mr. Kevin Cha said, "LG Electronics has established its leadership position as a creator of products that deliver perfect harmony between style and substance. The 11 iF Design Awards, 29 RedDot Design Awards, and single IDEA Award that we won in 2007 are a remarkable testimony to our capability."
With assistance from Think London, LGE chose London and the UK as its European hub due to the business and finance environment, as well as its global position. London is a culturally diverse city that is recognized across the world for its vibrancy, style and creativity. It is home to a large community of experienced designers with knowledge and genuine enthusiasm for consumer electronics, as well as a fertile ground for finding new talent thanks to world-renowned education and training programs.
Michael Charlton, chief executive at Think London, the foreign direct investment agency for London, said: "London has a long established reputation as a strong and innovative centre for design. More than half a million people in London work in the creative industries sector, making it the third largest sector of employment in the city. This combined with strong financial and business links makes it the ideal location for companies such as LGE which are making long-term, significant investments in their design capabilities."
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