LG向供应商开放研发生产设施并设立1430亿和1500亿韩元支持基金

LG is going a step beyond resolving its suppliers' management difficulties by opening its research and production infrastructure so that they can build their own technological competitiveness. The company provides testing equipment free of charge to small and mid-sized suppliers that find it difficult to secure costly testing equipment, and also dispatches experts to help them build artificial intelligence (AI)-based smart factories. Analysts say LG is placing emphasis on "self-reliant win-win cooperation" that fundamentally raises suppliers' competitiveness, moving beyond "support-oriented win-win cooperation" centered on cost compensation.
According to LG (003550) on the 28th, LG Chem provides approximately 10,000 product analyses and performance tests free of charge each year to suppliers through its research institute and tech center. The move allows small and mid-sized suppliers that lack their own testing equipment to verify product performance and quality by using LG Chem's research infrastructure.
In the chemical industry, tests to confirm whether products meet required performance standards are essential. However, precision analysis equipment is expensive and carries considerable maintenance costs, making it difficult for small and mid-sized businesses to own the equipment themselves. Using external testing institutions not only creates a cost burden but also involves long waiting times, raising the possibility of delays in product development and delivery schedules.
Analysis equipment is also provided to suppliers free of charge. This is to reduce problems such as deviations in analysis results by product or delays in test schedules caused by equipment deterioration. Through this, suppliers reduce development costs while raising product reliability, and LG Chem secures quality stability across the supply chain, building a virtuous cycle.
LG's support for suppliers' technological self-reliance is being carried out across all affiliates. Through its "Win-Win Smart Factory Support Program," LG Electronics has led manufacturing innovation at more than 250 suppliers since 2019. Production technology experts visit supplier sites to inspect facilities and propose automation measures, and when joint technology development is needed, they dispatch experts to help develop components applying new technologies.
LG Innotek supports up to 60% of smart factory construction costs for suppliers that have delayed factory automation due to initial cost burdens. So far, 37 suppliers have improved their production facilities and processes. This year, the company established a shared-growth fund worth 143 billion won to help suppliers with production innovation.
LG Energy Solution is also supporting small and mid-sized suppliers with a fund worth 150 billion won. It operates a technology data escrow system and shares research and development roadmaps and purchase plans in advance, making it easier for suppliers to develop technology preemptively.
LG Uplus provides network equipment test beds and Internet of Things (IoT) certification centers to small and mid-sized suppliers that lack communication technology testing infrastructure. This allows suppliers to verify equipment and services they have developed in an actual communication environment.
"It is no exaggeration to say that the company's supply chain competitiveness depends on its suppliers," an LG official said. "We will strengthen a win-win ecosystem that encompasses not only financial support but also technology development, manufacturing innovation, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) response."