LG Electronics to base first European R and D centre in Poland

South Korean giant LG Electronics has decided to set up its first-ever European research and development centre in Poland, its Polish arm said Thursday.

"The decision has been made. LGE has picked Wroclaw," spokeswoman Joanna Prasznic told AFP, referring to the southwestern Polish city which is already a hi-tech hub.

LGE chose Wroclaw over London, she added.

Prasznic said the centre would be up and running within five years. Its role, she explained, would be to adapt LG's product range to the European market.

"There will be a particular focus on televisions, refrigerators and washing machines," she said.

The cost of setting up the centre has yet to be revealed.

It is set to employ around 300 researchers and engineers, mainly from the respected Wroclaw University of Technology.

LGE already has production facilities at Kobierzyce near Wroclaw and Mlawa north of the Polish capital Warsaw.

(c) 2010 AFP