| An LG Electronics employee inspects OLED TVs at a manufacturing facility in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. The company employs two-track inspection processes for newlyproduced OLED TVs, as a core procedure to bring them to perfection. / Courtesy of LG Electronics |
By Lee Min-hyung
GUMI, North Gyeongsang Province ― LG Electronics introduced a two-track inspection process ahead of the launch of its organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) TVs, which the firm says was the key to perfection.
The company holds the world's largest OLED TV-manufacturing facility here. In an organized factory tour with reporters, the company shared details on the production of OLED and LCD TVs.
At the G3 and G4 production lines of the Gumi factory, the company manufactures some 10,000 OLED TVs each month, with all of them shipped instantly to key global markets in the Middle East and Asia.
One notable feature of the factory is its thorough and time-consuming inspection procedures.
“We call the Gumi manufacturing facility the mother factory, as LG adopts new manufacturing processes and tests them here,” said Lee Byung-chul, vice president of the company's TV and monitor production division.
He stressed the firm's 16 manufacturing facilities both at home and abroad apply new production processes only once they succeed in the Gumi factory.
In particular, the OLED TV production lines here have to pass a thorough two-track inspection procedure, which is different from those of LCD TVs.
The first “aging test” takes place on a conveyer belt beside where employees take 15 minutes to check new OLED TVs for any malfunctions ― including color distortion or picture fading.
Packaged OLED TVs are then unpacked for a second inspection.
The company explained that it unpacks the packaged products on purpose, as the process helps employees double-check new devices from the customer's perspective.
LG then turns on the unpacked OLED TVs for 72 hours at room temperature, as part of a measure to detect any tiny malfunctions in new products.
For new OLED TV models, the company extends the period to 168 hours. After two to three months, the test period is reduced to 72 hours.
An LG Electronics official said, “Random sampling tests are not allowed, so all OLED TVs should be under the same thorough inspection processes.”
OLED: next TV standard
The LG Electronics executive dispelled concerns over the lifespan of the OLED TVs.
“When we first started manufacturing OLED TVs in 2013, their lifespan was some 36,000 hours,” Lee said.
“Technological development has extended it to 100,000 hours now. This is equal to 30 years, if a user watches our OLED TV for 10 hours a day.”
He also expressed confidence in OLED's competitive edge over its rivals ― including Samsung's SUHD TVs with quantum dot display technology.
“LCD-based quantum dot TVs cannot compete with OLED TVs,” he said.
The latter can deliver high contrast and deep black shades, as OLED displays do not require backlighting, according to the LG executive.
LG Electronics had sold some 113,000 OLED TVs in the first quarter of this year, securing a 96.4 percent share in the global OLED TV market, according to market researcher IHS.
The market researcher expects the OLED market to grow 116 percent each year on average from 2013 to 2020.