LG has announced that it plans to “aggressively” expand its line-up of voice-controlled smart home ThinQ appliances this year. The firm said it plans to bring its appliances to 21 more countries by April up from the current six. The drive comes after the home appliance division at LG saw its highest operating profit in history at the end of 2018.
LG says that it wants to go after this market because both Google and Amazon have seen expanding sales of their AI speakers globally. It believes that it would see a simultaneous increase in demand for its voice-controlled home appliances.
Discussing the initiative, Song Dae-hyun, president of LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company, said:
“We look forward to giving our valued customers around the world the chance to experience next-level ease and convenience when using their LG appliances. Our aggressive strategy and drive for excellence will bring voice-enabled AI to more homes this year than any other manufacturer and this is something we are immensely proud of.”
LG’s smart product offerings are extensive, including products such as washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, and a clothes steamer. With voice commands, LG customers can control their appliances even if they"re in a different room, the firm highlighted that you can do tasks such as as how long a wash cycle has left, or issue commands to alter the temperature of the air conditioner.
The firm didn’t state which 21 markets it would be expanding into but voice recognition is already supported in the U.S., Germany, UK, South Korea, Canada, and Australia.