Helping Pro AV integrators learn skills necessary to sell and install the latest products, LG Business Solutions USA has launched “LG|U,” a new training academy that will offer comprehensive product and installation classes for integration partners, starting with in-person accredited courses on direct-view LED (dvLED) technologies, in Lincolnshire, IL, the U.S. headquarters for LG Business Solutions.
According to James Pfenning, technical sales director at LG Business Solutions, LG|U will also offer more virtual courses and embark on a U.S. tour for in-person classes in 2023, providing more-accessible training programs to help professional integrators maintain industry readiness that is essential to satisfying market demand and maintaining competitiveness.
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“Technology advances every day, offering new opportunities for businesses and integration firms that design and install AV solutions,” Pfenning said. “Technicians who are properly trained and certified to install, integrate and service the latest products are best prepared to capitalize on these opportunities. Without this education, firms limit their ability to bid on many projects. We want our partners to enjoy continued success and growth, and by opening LG|U programs to the professional integration community, we are providing easy access to valuable training with both in-person and virtual options.”
The inaugural LG|U course, DVLED Installation, provides integrators with extensive hands-on training that prepares them to install and maintain both pre-packaged and customizable displays that come in a variety of pixel pitches, sizes, shapes and even curvatures. The company chose to start with this course based on current market demand and the major installation differences for dvLED displays compared with other large-format display options, including fine-pitch dvLED’s more delicate components that require greater care to install.
Pfenning said the dvLED curriculum will soon expand to include more courses, starting with DVLED Basics that explains terminology, how diodes work, what components are in a dvLED display and what the ingress protection rating means, while delivering a full understanding of LG’s growing dvLED product catalog. DVLED System Design will launch at about the same time, offering designers, architects, specifiers and integrators detailed instructions on how to select and specify the right dvLED product for each unique need, covering topics such as pixel pitch, viewing distance, room size, power requirements, brightness, and mounting options, as well as compatibility and use in rental and staging projects.
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To maximize value for participants, LG worked to achieve course accreditation from AVIXA. The two-day installation course provides up to 32 total renewal units (RUs), including 16 standard Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) credits and 16 CTS-I (Installation) credits. The upcoming dvLED courses will provide RUs as well, in addition to future courses later in the year focusing on CLOi robots and CreateBoard interactive digital displays.
Gearing up for the official launch of LG|U, the company hosted seven dvLED course sessions to date, with initial feedback from the 70-plus attendees suggesting that presentations and hands-on instruction are invaluable to integrators who are new to dvLED, or new to LG’s dvLED products specifically.
LG|U is also developing live webinar and online recording options for each course to ensure every integration partner can access training when they need it. Most online courses will not involve hands-on experience with products and will subsequently require less time and offer fewer RU credits. In addition to the new interactive digital displays and robotics courses launching later this year, the dvLED course list will expand to include specific product trainings for LG’s dvLED transparent film, MAGNIT Micro-LED displays, and exciting yet-to-be announced products.
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LG’s various dvLED product lines include proprietary innovations such as cableless cabinet connections and the webOS controller, so even integrators with experience installing other DVLED brands can benefit from the training course and feel confident to start specifying LG products. The inaugural dvLED course is accessible to all LG Business Solutions integrators free of charge. Future courses may include fees or require prerequisite courses or knowledge to attend.
