LG's sheds light on its latest technological breakthrough

LG plans to achieve sales of one billion US dollars by 2015 and will focus its business efforts on selling PLS component modules while introducing four PLS products. The company is targeting the high wattage market of 300-plus watt lighting products. This represents US $3.7 billion of the global lighting market estimated to be worth US $80 billion and the figure is projected to grow to seven billion US dollars by 2010.

"PLS technology eliminates the need for mercury to produce light, so it is environment friendly" said K H Kim, President, LG Electronics, Middle East and Africa Operations. "We believe PLS products will replace street lamps and industrial lightings and plan to utilse LG's brand equity and sales network to achieve sales of over one billion US dollars by 2015."

During the initial stages, LG plans to install PLS products on landmark buildings and forge partnerships with other lighting equipment providers around the world. LG hopes to develop this initiative as one of its core businesses.

The company has already agreed on partnership deals with five Korean manufacturers and is now investigating partnership opportunities around the world. LG has invested over US $200 million to develop the technology since 1999 and more than 1000 PLS products have been installed worldwide for test purposes.

"We believe it is important to forge mutually beneficial relationships with lighting system manufacturers to successfully jumpstart our entry into the market and to produce various lighting products. We, eventually, hope to manufacture complete lighting solutions," said Kim.

The PLS, developed in conjunction with the LG Technology Centre, Moscow, uses high pressure discharge, instead of an electrode used in existing lighting systems, to transmit light through microwaves. The product has a semi-permanent life span if the "magnetron", a microwave oscillator, is changed every 20,000 hours. As the optical efficiency, the measure of light's brightness against consumed power, of PLS products are ten times higher than incandescent lighting, PLS products will be cheaper than products using incandescent lighting. PLS technology is similar to solar light and ensures lighting is comfortable in factories, museums, subways, street lamps and swimming pools.

"Through responding to changing market trends and focusing on developing innovative technologies, we will maintain our status as the global and regional digital leader," said Kim.