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LG Electronics has partnered with the University of Nairobi (UoN) to train engineers, architects, contractors and other building professionals in the latest Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) innovations.

The deal will see LG revamp its Engineering academy and rebrand its showroom as it eyes growth in sales of its innovative HVAC inverter technology, directly targeting professionals in the construction industry, while enhancing technical skills in the local market.

According to LG East Africa Managing Director, Sa Nyoung Kim, there is a large gap in the local market both in terms of awareness of the benefits of HVAC inverter technology and the skills needed to install and maintain equipment embedded with the technology.

“Enhanced awareness and training is crucial in increased adoption of this innovative technology in the local market. We have partnered with Industry players to strengthen our Business-to-Business (B2B) Academy to provide a platform to sharpen technical skills available locally to support the latest state-of-the-art range of air conditioners,” said Mr. Kim during the launch of the rebranded LG academy and showroom in Nairobi.

The LG B2B Academy will offer training in industry-leading air conditioning technologies. Hundreds of trainees will benefit from courses offered at the academy ranging from installation, troubleshooting to full service.

LG is investing in building local capacity in installation and maintenance as it seeks to differentiate itself with a better customer experience. “It is our commitment to stop at nothing in ensuring our consumers are delighted with our ground-breaking indoor air solutions in a residential and commercial environment. This includes training technicians involved in installation and maintenance of equipment to bring them up to speed with advanced appliances.”

Speaking at the launch ceremony, LG Middle East and Africa General Manager Yong Kim, described the partnership with UoN as aimed at ensuring future engineers and architects are aligned with fast-evolving technologies and consumer needs.

“We look forward to the academy offering a long-lasting impact not only in Kenya but also the wider East African region. In addition, we want to make this showroom the ideal location to demonstrate to the customer the standards that LG works with both in the realms of products and craftsmanship,” said Mr. Yong.

He added that the rapidly growing demand for energy-saving technology in the East Africa region, and the fact that most African countries are flooded with outdated air conditioners, makes a strong case for training in the new technology.

The rebranded LG showroom will be open Monday to Friday between 9.00 am and 4.00 pm and will showcase LG’s (HVAC) innovations ideal for residential, retail, public, corporate/government spaces, hospitals, hotels as well as learning institutions.

LG has also introduced a new cloud-based technology, TMS-BECON Cloud, to enable its customers monitor their LG air conditioners in real time. With this technology, LG can now offer troubleshooting support from its Nairobi office to all its sales sites within the East Africa region.

LG air conditioning systems are now embedded with inverter technology which immensely reduces energy consumption, making it ideal for price and environmentally-conscious consumers. With rising cost of energy, many consumers are switching to innovative appliances in a bid to trim their power bills.