| An LG Hausys employee work in the company's 'engineered stone' production line in Georgia, in this photo provided, Tuesday. / Courtesy of LG Hausys |
By Kim Yoo-chul
LG Hausys, LG Group's industrial materials affiliate, said Tuesday it has started mass producing "engineered stone" at a newly-completed manufacturing line at its plant in Georgia, the United States.
"LG Hausys started mass producing engineered stone from the third manufacturing line at our Georgia plant. The operation will help us expand total annual output to 1.05 million square meters, up 50 percent from our current available capacity," the company said in a statement.
Engineered stone is a composite material made of crushed stone bound together by an adhesive, most commonly polymer resin with some newer versions using cement mix. Other products include engineered quartz, polymer concrete and engineered marble. Engineered marble is mostly commonly used for indoor flooring and walls, while quartz-based products are used primarily for kitchen countertops in place of laminates or granite.
A company spokesman Ahn Young-hoon said LG Hausys' U.S. retailers will be handling sales of the engineered stone. "The newly-built manufacturing line uses applied robotics-driven technology to manufacture stones, featuring a sleeker design that gives the stone a price advantage."
LG Hausys may invest further to expand its Georgia plant with additional manufacturing facilities if needed to satisfy potential demand.
The company is aiming for a market share of 10 percent in the engineered stone segment in North America. The estimated market size globally was about 3 trillion won with the North American market accounting for 70 percent of that, according to market research firms.
Since 2011, LG Hausys has been selling Viatera-branded engineered stone in the United States. It is currently the No. 4 supplier in the market after Cosentino of Spain, Caesarstone of Israel and Cambria of the United States.