LS Electric R-Center Accredited as KOLAS-Certified Testing Institution

Official Recognition of Testing Capabilities
Real-Load Testing for Inline Manufacturing Processes
in Batteries, Electric Vehicles, and Semiconductors Now Possible

LS Electric announced on the 23rd that its 'R-Center,' located at the Cheonan plant, has obtained accreditation as a certified testing institution from the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS) and held a plaque ceremony for the testing institution on the 22nd.

LS Electric's 'R-Center' has obtained accreditation as a certified testing institution from the Korea Accreditation Body and held a plaque ceremony for the testing institution on the 22nd. (From the second person on the left) Jangcheol Seo, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Power Development Headquarters; Jaeseok Oh, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Production & R&D; Sangjun Lee, Executive Vice President and COO of Automation. LS Electric Photo by LS Electric

With this accreditation, the R-Center has secured the reliability of its test reports and can further strengthen its external competitiveness. KOLAS comprehensively evaluates an institution's organization, facilities, and personnel in accordance with international standards, and grants accreditation as a certified testing institution if it is deemed to possess internationally recognized testing capabilities.

The R-Center was established by LS Electric to verify the reliability of its automation and smart factory solutions. LS Electric invested approximately 14 billion won to establish the R-Center at the Cheonan plant in January, dedicated to testing the reliability of industrial automation devices and software. Covering a total floor area of 3,938 square meters (1,191 pyeong), the R-Center is equipped with over 400 types of testing equipment and provides a testing environment that meets international standards. It features equipment capable of testing performance under extreme temperature, humidity, and vibration conditions; a 10-meter electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) chamber for measuring electromagnetic effects at a distance of 10 meters; and a drive reliability testing lab capable of load testing with 1,000-horsepower (HP) motors.

In particular, the R-Center has independently developed and applied real-load testing equipment that implements inline processes-where multiple processes are sequentially carried out on a single production line-for future strategic industries such as batteries, electric vehicles, and semiconductors. Through this, LS Electric plans not only to provide customized solutions to customers by verifying software quality and performance without error, but also to achieve quality innovation based on empirical testing, thereby enhancing customer trust and increasing sales.

With the R-Center, LS Electric can now conduct regulatory testing in-house, which was previously outsourced to external testing institutions. This is expected to enhance product reliability, reduce costs, and shorten lead times, as well as improve development efficiency. In addition, the scope of global certification responses-including IEC, UL, and CE-will be expanded, enabling more rapid responses to overseas markets.

Synergy is also expected with the Power Testing & Technology Institute (PT&T) at the Cheongju plant, which is Korea's first member testing laboratory of the Short-Circuit Testing Liaison (STL) KERI. The R-Center is equipped with testing facilities such as the 10-meter EMC chamber, which the Power Testing & Technology Institute did not previously possess. Through close collaboration, further benefits such as reduced development time, lower external testing costs, and enhanced competitiveness in quality, cost, and delivery (QDC) are anticipated.

Jaeseok Oh, President of LS Electric, stated, "With the R-Center's accreditation as a KOLAS-certified testing institution, we have secured internationally recognized quality for our testing work and can further enhance customer trust. Through continuous quality innovation and strengthening our ability to respond to global markets, we aim to become a world-class power and automation solutions company."