The washer features what the company calls an “ergonomic design,” as the washer door is placed 11.5 centimeters higher than that of the average front-load washer, and it is also inclined slightly backward, around 10 degrees, to allow users to put laundry in the washer with ease.

The Klasse washer with the inclined door has especially caught the eyes of consumers in Saudi Arabia, China and Iraq.

The company said it shipped around 7,000 units of the washer to global markets, in addition to 3,000 in the Korean market.

“The inclined door saves users the trouble of bending down and crouching when putting in laundry in a washer,” Kwon Dae-hoon, a public relations representative at Dongbu Daewoo Electronics, said.

The automatic detergent dispenser fitted in the washer also eliminates the nuisance of adding detergent every time the user does laundry, the company explained.

“The washing machine with the inclined door also boasts great laundry performance and reasonable price,” he said.

Tech giants LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics have been reinforcing their design capacity as part of efforts to get ahead in the competition with global household electronics firms, including those from China.

LG Electronics’ Twin Wash, which features a sleek design with its dual drums, one on top and the other on bottom, has been boosting the firm’s market share in the U.S.

Posting 26.4 percent market share there in the first three months this year, up from 24.6 percent in 2015, the Seoul-headquartered tech giant was No. 1 in the front-load washing machine sector in the U.S.

“The most important thing is not the sales numbers of those products, but momentum (created by the design-oriented premium products) to improve the brand value of the company,” the CEO said.

Aiming to top the front-loading washer sector in the U.S. for the 10th straight year since 2007, LGE plans to roll out premium products in the coming months.

“LGE’s washer business, which accounts for 35 percent of the firm’s entire revenue, will see its profit margin increase this year thanks to improved presence in the U.S. market,” said Kim Dong-won, an analyst at Hyundai Securities, adding that the recent ruling of the World Trade Organization against the U.S. government’s antidumping duties on Korean washer-makers will likely benefit LGE.

Joining hands with French furniture designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Samsung released a TV last year that looks like the English letter “I” when seen in profile.
 

The TV product, which drew attention from both the TV industry and design segment, is designed to complement home furniture.

The I-shaped TV was exhibited at the Milan Furniture Fair trade show in April. Currently available at upscale department stores and furniture shops in Korea and Europe, the product will also be sold at the Museum of Modern Arts in New York City later this year.

Samsung did not unveil the sales figures for the TV, but is said to have set a sales target of 30,000 units this year.

“Even though the Serif TV is sold at limited places, its sells fairly well,” Kim Choon-gon, a public relations representative from Samsung, said.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)