LG’s Tennessee Plant Named WEF’s First US Lighthouse Factory

LG Electronics’s Tennessee manufacturing plant has been selected by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to join its Lighthouse Factory network – marking the first such site in the U.S. 

Since 2018, LG has selected two factories per year as a Lighthouse Factory, defined as a site shaping the future of manufacturing through the deployment of cutting-edge technologies such as AI and robotics.

LG’s million-square-foot factory was built in 2018 and can produce 1.2 million washing machines and 600,000 dryers per year. The site has been recognized for its use of leading Industry 4.0 technologies, featuring a fully autonomous logistics system with 166 automated guided vehicles, as well as a series of manufacturing robots undertaking assembly, welding and heavy lifting tasks. Plans are also underway to establish a 5G connectivity network later this year to further boost these robots’ efficiency and communication capabilities. 

LG says harnessing AI predictive tech to assess product performance has reduced the number of tests and energy consumed during testing by 22%, while the defect rate has been reduced by more than 61%.

The site marks LG’s second Lighthouse Factory. The company’s Smart Park site in South Korea was selected by the WEF last year. 

"Along with the LG Smart Park, LG's Tennessee factory represents our unmatched leadership in transforming manufacturing facilities into advanced, futuristic hubs utilizing the most revolutionary technologies," said Lyu Jae-cheol, LG’s president of the Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company. "Lighthouse Factory status exemplifies how LG continues to strive for providing differentiated customer experiences through customized manufacturing innovations."