LG Electronics makes 100 millionth unit of core motor for washing machines

LG Electronics Inc. on Sunday said it produced late last month its 112 millionth unit of the inverter direct drive (DD) motor for its washing machines, a core component that the company commercialized for the first time in the world.

Since the part's debut in 1998, LG Electronics has churned out a daily average of 12,050 units over the past 25 years.

The motor rotates the washer tub and because it is directly connected to the washer, it reduces noise and energy consumption. The company has improved the component over generations, achieving further advancement in 2019 thanks to the application of artificial intelligence.

The company owns more than 240 domestic and foreign patents related to the innovative motor's technology.

From last year, the motor was also applied to the company's dryers and consequently raised the simplicity and durability of the item's structure. An inverter DD motor-equipped dryer has six motions similar to the methods of natural laundry drying: shaking, spreading, hanging, flapping, fluttering and flipping.

"The washer's reliability depends on the performance of its motor directly connected to the washing tub," an LG Electronics source said. "We will continue focusing on R&D to enhance the component's competitiveness."

Write to Ji-Eun Jeong at jeong@hankyung.com