From second left: LG Electronics’ Tennessee manufacturing chief Park Yong, living solutions chief Son Chang-woo and Clarksville Industrial Development Board Executive Director Josh Ward pose with other guests and the plant’s 10 millionth appliance in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Friday. (LG Electronics)
From second left: LG Electronics’ Tennessee manufacturing chief Park Yong, living solutions chief Son Chang-woo and Clarksville Industrial Development Board Executive Director Josh Ward pose with other guests and the plant’s 10 millionth appliance in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Friday. (LG Electronics)

LG Electronics said Sunday its factory in Clarksville, Tennessee, had produced its 10 millionth laundry appliance, eight years after it began making washing machines. The company marked the milestone Friday.

LG has invested about $500 million in the plant. It began making washers in November 2018, added dryers in 2022 and started producing its stacked WashTower units in 2023. The factory can now make 1.55 million washers and 700,000 dryers a year, about four times its 2019 capacity.

LG led the US market by dollar sales in both categories in 2025, with 23.3 percent of washer sales and 24.1 percent of dryer sales, according to market tracker TraQline. Its shares were 17.2 percent and 17.4 percent, respectively, in 2018.

LG said its Tennessee-made appliances reach US stores about a week after production, compared with more than 10 weeks for appliances made overseas. Local production also reduces ocean freight costs and exposure to import tariffs, the company said.

The plant makes top-loading washers with angled openings that make it easier to reach the bottom of the drum. It began producing laundry appliances with a pet-care cycle in 2025. LG said the factory has generated about 1,000 jobs, including at suppliers.

The plant uses artificial intelligence, digital twins and about 300 industrial robots. LG says about 70 percent of its processes are automated. In 2023, it became the first US home appliance factory to receive the World Economic Forum’s Lighthouse designation for advanced manufacturing.

LG is testing its CLOiD robot on the production line, where it carries washer top panels and aligns and loads drain pumps. The company plans to use data collected at the plant to train the robot in South Korea and apply what it learns in further trials.

“We will further strengthen our leadership in North America through distinctive products and AI-based manufacturing innovation,” said Baek Seung-tae, head of LG’s home appliance business.


herim@heraldcorp.com