LG Electronics Inc. (LG) announced its financial results for the year 2023, disclosing a consolidated revenue of KRW 84.2 trillion and an operating profit of KRW 3.55 trillion. This marks the third consecutive year of achieving record-breaking annual revenue. The operating profit is also solid, approaching levels seen during the prior period of pent-up demand.
Despite challenging external factors such as an economic slowdown and reduced demand, LG’s core business of home appliances and the burgeoning vehicle components business have demonstrated remarkable resilience, maintaining continuous growth for eight consecutive years. The combined revenue of these businesses exceeded KRW 40 trillion last year, a substantial increase from KRW 18 trillion in 2015. Over the same period, the proportion of these two businesses in the total revenue has risen from 32.5 percent to 47.8 percent.
The performance is attributable to LG’s strategic efforts to enhance its business portfolio. The company successfully expanded its B2B business by identifying market turning points early on and integrated new business models, including subscription services, into existing frameworks. Furthermore, LG’s innovative content and service business model, leveraging its extensive user base of hundreds of millions of products globally, has also contributed to securing robust profitability.
Looking ahead, LG is committed to a continual transformation from a mature business-oriented structure to a future growth-oriented one. In this year, the company will concentrate its capabilities on breaking through limits to maximize its business potential. Guided by the newly established Overseas Sales & Marketing Company, LG will strive for additional growth and expanded product coverage, particularly in emerging markets where there are greater growth opportunities.
The LG Home Appliance & Air Solution Company achieved an annual revenue of KRW 30.14 trillion, marking eight consecutive years of growth and ushering in the era of KRW 30 trillion. Introducing new business models including subscription services and expanding the B2B share in areas such as HVAC, components and built-in solutions contributed to this growth. The operating profit recorded an increase of over 76 percent compared to the previous year, reaching KRW 2.08 trillion.
In the coming year, the Company will accelerate a shift in its business model towards future readiness, including Direct-to-Consumer initiatives. It aims to expand the deployment of home appliance operating systems and extend subscription services to international markets. Additionally, there will be a swift progression in building smart home solutions that reflect the value of “Zero Labor Home.” In terms of products, the Company will seek to maintain its strategic approach of solidifying the premium leadership of key products, such as washing machines and refrigerators, while swiftly expanding region-specific lineups. To sustain continuous growth in the B2B sector, especially in areas like HVAC, the Company plans to strengthen its capabilities by establishing a complete, local business operation that encompasses product development, production and sales, with a focus on the evident electrification trends in regions such as North America and Europe.
The LG Vehicle component Solutions Company achieved an annual revenue of KRW 10.1 trillion and operating profit of KRW 133 billion. In its 10th year since establishment, the Company not only surpassed the KRW 10 trillion revenue mark but also demonstrated eight consecutive years of growth since it began disclosing performance results in 2015. The share of total consolidated revenue has increased to 12 percent. This year, the Company aims to drive both external growth, leveraging a substantial order backlog, and qualitative growth in its operations. In in-vehicle infotainment, the Company is dedicating efforts to secure capabilities in the area of software-defined vehicles in response to the needs of OEMs. Drawing upon its differentiated technology accumulated in the home appliance and IT sectors, the Company will seek to further enhance the in-vehicle customer experience. In the e-Powertrain area, focus will be on strengthening product capabilities and early stabilization of overseas production bases to enhance responsiveness to customer demands. Additionally, in headlamps, there are plans to expand premium product orders while simultaneously improving operational efficiency.
The LG Home Entertainment Company recorded an annual revenue of KRW 14.2 trillion and operating profit of KRW 362 billion. The webOS platform-based content and services business solidified its position as a new source of revenue, showing a significant increase in operating profit compared to the previous year. The revenue slightly decreased amid a relatively slow recovery in demand for premium products like OLED. In anticipation of a progressive recovery in TV demand this year, the Company will seek to strengthen both the top-tier OLED lineup and the QNED lineup, following a dual-track strategy to lead the premium market. Simultaneously, the Company is accelerating its transformation into a media and entertainment powerhouse. In the current year, the webOS platform business is slated for nurturing as a significant revenue-generating venture in the scale of trillions.
The LG Business Solutions Company recorded an annual revenue of KRW 5.4 trillion and operating loss of KRW 42 billion. The revenue saw a slight decrease compared to the previous year due to delays in IT demand recovery and reduced investments from key enterprises. Increased investments in future growth areas such as robotics and electric vehicle charging had an impact on profitability. In this year, the Company is positioning itself with a competitive lineup of IT products, including gaming monitors and the LG gram Pro, and will actively seek to find business opportunities targeting distinct verticals such as government agencies and schools. As a leader in LG’s B2B business, it aims to accelerate the shift from supplying single products to integrating and providing adjacent solutions. With a significant proportion of new businesses within the organization, investments will be prioritized for future preparations rather than short-term management performance.
