Coway recruits refrigerator, washer, dishwasher developers, fueling 'full-lineup rental' speculation

Coway has been stepping up its hiring of experienced product planners and developers for large home appliances — including refrigerators, washing machines and dishwashers — product categories the company does not currently sell. Industry watchers are asking whether the rental specialist, which built its business on water purifiers before expanding into mattresses, bidets and air conditioners, is now preparing to enter the full-lineup home appliance market dominated by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, using its rental model as a competitive weapon. Coway said no such decision has been made.

According to recruitment industry sources, Coway is accepting applications for an experienced "large appliance product planning" role through Sept. 16. Responsibilities listed include market analysis, product planning, outsourcing through domestic and international partners, quality management in joint development and manufacturing processes, and product launch project management. The posting specifically requires at least five years of experience developing large appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators, and gives preference to candidates with experience developing four-door and three-door refrigerators for North American and Korean markets, as well as air conditioners for domestic and overseas markets.

Some postings have already closed. Coway recruited for "large appliance mechanical development PM" and "large appliance electrical development" roles through Wednesday. Those listings named refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and dishwashers as target products, and included responsibilities such as establishing and executing mid- to long-term technology and product roadmaps for large appliances, domestic and overseas ODM and joint development and manufacturing, overseas outsourcing, and mass production and quality stabilization.

The large appliance hiring push began in earnest in May. In a May 13 posting for a "large appliance product planning manager," Coway described the team's role as "building a nationwide installation network for entry into the new large appliance rental market."

Tracing the sequence of postings, the hiring has followed a logical progression: product planning, installation, mechanical development, electrical development and additional product planning. Individual postings listed headcount as zero, meaning the exact number of positions was not disclosed. "We don't set a fixed number of hires in advance," a Coway official said. "If multiple strong candidates apply, we may hire more than planned; if not, we may hire no one."

Speculation that Coway was preparing a "large appliance rental" push began circulating in earnest around last September, when the company recruited Executive Vice President Jang Bo-young from LG Electronics and appointed him head of its product planning center. Jang previously served as head of the DPI research lab at LG Electronics' H&A research center and as head of technology strategy at the HS research center. He also built experience in washing machines and home appliances at H&A, where he served as project management officer for the top-loading washing machine project.

The LG Electronics H&A division that Jang came from oversees the company's core home appliance lineup — refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers and water purifiers, as well as air conditioners, air purifiers and dehumidifiers — and serves as the backbone of LG Electronics' appliance business. Former LG Electronics Vice Chairman Cho Sung-jin, widely credited with building the company's washing machine business, served as the division's inaugural head.

Alongside Jang, Coway has deployed its existing research and product organization, including Executive Vice President Choi In-du as head of Research Lab 1, Assistant Executive Vice President Lee Hyun-hee as head of Research Lab 2, and Assistant Executive Vice President Hwang Jin-sang as head of the design lab. Choi previously served as a senior research fellow at the environmental technology research institute and as head of the WaterCare development division; Lee headed the DSQ center and the Berex development division; and Hwang worked as a designer at HP before leading Coway's design research institute. The structure adds outside large-appliance expertise to an existing environmental appliance development organization.

Industry observers say the procurement model Coway used for its wall-mounted air conditioners — which it began renting out in May — could be replicated for large appliances. Coway launched four wall-mounted air conditioner models in May, pairing them with a rental service that includes in-home maintenance visits, filter replacements and deep-cleaning. Some of the units are manufactured by China's AUX. Under the model, Coway handles product planning and development, sources finished products from specialist manufacturers, and sells them under its own brand bundled with rental and maintenance services.

The repeated appearance in recent Coway job postings of terms such as "domestic and overseas ODM and JDM," "overseas outsourcing" and "partner sourcing" reinforces the view that any future move into large appliances would follow a procurement approach similar to the air conditioner model.

Adding refrigerators, washing machines and dishwashers to its rental lineup would extend Coway's business across virtually all major home appliance categories. The company started with water purifiers, air purifiers and bidets, then expanded into mattresses, massage chairs and electric ranges, and broadened its product lineup to air conditioners in May.

Coway pushed back on the idea that its recent hiring activity signals a move into the large appliance market. "Home appliance control technology shares many common elements across product categories, so we continuously recruit talent with diverse expertise to advance research, enhance technology and strengthen quality competitiveness in our existing lineup," a company official said. "At this point, no decision has been made regarding the launch of new large appliance products or any related business expansion."