LG Electronics Revolutionizes Laundromat Experience

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Electronics USA and Coinmach Service Corp. today announced the opening of a unique "Laundry Lounge," a new approach to the traditional, utilitarian laundromat – offering customers modern amenities, including free Internet access and HDTVs for a more home-like experience. Located on the Upper Westside of New York City, this lounge is the first of what LG anticipates to be a national roll out of similar lounges featuring its ultra-energy-efficient line of ENERGY STAR® qualified commercial clothes washers and their counterpart dryers.  

The New York laundry lounge is owned and operated by Super Laundry, a wholly owned division of Coinmach Service Corp., a leading supplier of outsourced laundry equipment services for multi-family housing properties in North America.

The Laundry Lounge will feature three LG LED HDTVs and free Internet access, adding an exciting entertainment element to what is often considered a mundane task. Each flat-panel TV will deliver crisp, clear HDTV images, adding a sense of style and luxury to the lounge while providing superior entertainment value for its customers.  With free Wi-Fi, customers never feel disconnected from their normal lives, and can work, check email or browse at their leisure. There will be plush seating and ample space to for customers' sorting and folding needs, with stations located throughout the lounge. Customers will have access to all the extra amenities this upscale lounge offers without an added premium.  

Industry veteran Stefan Meir, director of commercial laundry sales for LG Electronics USA, said LG plans to work with Coinmach and other distributors to open more laundromats "Powered by LG" nationwide over the next 18 months. "We're working with our powerful distributor network across the United States to give as many people as possible the opportunity to enjoy a new era of laundry," he said.

"With this new concept, we're offering patrons a fresh experience by integrating key components of the home in public laundry venues, confirming the notion that life doesn't have to stop because you have to do laundry," said Sam Kim, Appliance President, LG Electronics USA.  "The Laundry Lounge concept offers a dual cost benefit to the business owner and customer with its ENERGY STAR® rated machines, delivering powerful cleaning capabilities along with savings on water usage and energy costs."

Robert M. Doyle, Coinmach Service Corp.'s CEO said, "LG's innovative commercial washers and dryers, as well as its high performance HDTV's create an overall exciting and attractive environment. We are very pleased to cooperate with LG Electronics in bringing this exciting new kind of laundry experience to our customers."

The New York Laundry Lounge features 26 LG commercial clothes washers and 32 counterpart dryers. All are front loading and meeting ADA-Compliance requirements, providing a better ease of use for people with disabilities.  The machines will use ESD Card systems, eliminating the need to lug around heavy coins, adding even more convenience to the process.

Energy and Water Efficiency

LG's commercial washers incorporate an array of energy and water efficiency features that helped them achieve ENERGY STAR qualifications. At the heart of LG's energy efficiency is the exclusive inverter control system, which allows the drum to run at a constant speed, reducing wasted energy from continuous speed fluctuation.  This system also allows the washer's drum to reach high spinning speeds or revolutions per minute (rpm). With these faster and more frequent spins, clothes are dryer when they come out of the washer, and therefore require less time in the actual dryer, saving on energy usage and costs. Even some of the most efficient commercial washers operate at 1000 rpm; LG's operates at 1150 rpm.

While typical washers have horizontal drums, the drum in LG's washers is tilted at a 10 degree angle, requiring less water to fill the back cavity where clothes are being cleaned.  In addition, LG's machines can be programmed by facility owners to use anywhere from 11 to 16 gallons of water per load, depending on installation type and needs.  In fact, each year, compared to conventional commercial washers, the New York lounge's washers can save enough water to make almost 10 million cups of coffee.

With these features, LG's commercial washers meet the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) Tier 3 requirements, which recognize the most energy efficient commercial laundry machines in the market.  CEE specifications are determined using a combination of the Modified Energy Factor (MEF), energy consumption based on how many cubic feet of laundry can be washed and dried with one kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity, and Water Factor (WF), the number of gallons needed for each cubic foot of laundry. LG's machines go beyond set specifications for both metrics, which are 2.4 MEF and 4.0 WF, respectively.

For more information, please visit: www.lgcommerciallaundry.com

About LG Electronics USA

LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a global force and technology leader in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells a range of stylish and innovative home entertainment products, mobile phones, home appliances and business solutions, all under LG's "Life's Good" marketing theme. For more information, please visit www.LG.com.

About Coinmach Service Corp.

Coinmach Service Corp. (CSC) is a leading provider of performance-driven equipment and industry-leading service solutions to the commercial and multifamily industries. Through our Family of Companies, Coinmach, ASI Campus Laundry Solutions, Appliance Warehouse of America, Super Laundry and AirValet, we are committed to delivering the latest technologies, most energy efficient equipment and exceptional customer service. For more information visit our website www.coinmachservicecorp.com.

Designs, features, services and specifications subject to change without notice.

*Based on internal testing in LG design labs, comparing LG's consumer washers to its commercial washers.

SOURCE LG Electronics USA