What Would YOU Do?

What would you do if you had a deadline and you didn't know who could really help you? How would you make sure that the promise of "On Time Delivery" is kept for real? How do you make sure it is not just a way to win the order and you have no room for mistakes?

The Beginning of the Story

On December 16th, one company came to visit us with these exact questions in mind. They presented us a very ambitious project: the delivery of 6 LED screens within the end of the year. This is 5 working days from the moment of order.

In the two weeks before, they have been evaluating several alternatives both in Italy and in Europe but - according to their own version - after a bad experience they had in the recent past, they could not find a supplier they trusted completely.

They spent the next 3 days visiting our facilities and meeting our people. They were trying to understand if they could really trust us. They studied not only our answers to their questions but also our body language, to find clues of our real intentions.

Like a Student Taking a Test

They asked very precise questions to our technical department team. Then they asked to meet everyone, from the Manufacturing to the Administration. It felt like the entire company was taking an admission test for a top MBA program. Luckily we were prepared.

After all, I would have done the same thing in their shoes. Can you imagine how much pressure they were under? Choosing the right Company to supply 6 digital billboards in just 5 working days with no room for mistakes and with the risk of loosing lots of money? Not easy.

Watch What You Wish For, It Just Might Come True

On the last day, just a few minutes before they left I was taken aside by the owner who smiled and told me: "I think we found the right one, Fabio. We'll place the order tomorrow as soon as we are back home." - Wow!

Of course, I was very happy while wishing goodbye. Then, the moment the gate closed behind their backs, a thought struck me... Now we really had to keep that promise! 6 screens in 5 days?!? We had to start immediately.

So despite our policy, we had a meeting with everyone involved in the project: we informed everybody that we most probably won the order and that now we had to hurry up to meet the deadline.

You Can Feel the Speed

Within one hour the logistic team was ordering the missing components, forcing our suppliers to work afterhours. The technical department was preparing the screens' control boards and the Apple Mac Minis. The manufacturing started to assemble the metal frames. The administration was working on the packing list and related documents.

Now, our company policy is pretty clear about what an Order is: "An Order is not when the Customer says he takes it, but when the bank confirm the down payment was received." Not very romantic, I know, but I'm sure that any savvy entrepreneur knows it is the right policy. So we took a risk by starting without a confirmed order, but it was the only way to possibly deliver on time.

On December 22nd the Order was confirmed - even according to our policy. Since that moment our Manufacturing and Technical departments and our Administration have been working non-stop. We all took a day off only on Christmas.

When You Absolutely, Positively Need the LED Screens Delivered

So now I would like to thank all the men and women in our team: they renounced to their well-deserved holiday break without hesitation. With their commitment and positive attitude they made this delivery possible. Yes, because I'm glad to inform you that today we packed 5 of the 6 electronic billboards. The last one will be packed tomorrow morning, together with spare-parts and accessories.

Everything will be ready for pickup on December 31st at 14h00. As promised.

UPDATE - December 31st

Everything is packed, ready for delivery.

Is air conditioning on digital billboards really needed? As it often happens, the answer is "it depends".

But statistically, from my experience, I would say that only less than 10% of the LED screens needs it. Which means that more than 90% don't need air conditioning.

What is the Main PRO of Air Conditioning?

An effectively designed and installed air conditioning system provides higher protection in extreme weather conditions. In general, such conditions are mainly in Middle East countries and tropical areas.

Cooling down the air inside the modules allows you to:

(1) reach higher brightness because you can increase the LEDs brilliance without the risk of overheating

(2) and therefore extend the electronic components lifetime which otherwise would be considerably shorter in such extreme weather

But if there are such advantages, why aren't ALL electronic billboards on the market equipped with air conditioning? Because despite this undoubtable benefit, there are some critical consequence that must take into account: 

What are the Main CONS of Air Conditioning?

(1) Consumptions: with the A/C the power supply rise to approximately twice the consumption of the LED screen only. That's because in order to cool down a system, you need roughly as much energy it was needed to heat it up. In some very extreme conditions, the final cost was even more than doubled.

(2) Maintenance: in order to keep the air conditioning system working effectively all the time, you must dedicate a considerably higher amount of time (scheduled maintenance, systems checks etc).

(3) Complexity: by adding another significant element to the equipment, such as the A/C system, you add the number of potential inconveniences

(4) Response: the LED billboard supplier is of course your only reference for the installation, but due to the fact that the A/C is covered by the warranty from the third party, the response time could be slower than you wish.

(5) Direct and Indirect Costs: last but not least, the overall cost of the equipment is higher.

And it is important that you do not only consider the direct cost, which is the cost of the A/C system. Indeed there are more subtle expenses that are more difficult to control but that can have a big impact on the final investment.

Such indirect costs are: higher cost of the structure to support the extra weight (usually about 30% more weight), higher cost of transportation (for the same reason), higher cost of installation (more connection, more people needed).

Final Thoughts

So as mentioned at the beginning, each case must be analyzed to decide whether the A/C system is really needed or not.

In general, I would say to trust what we (or your supplier) suggest you: our technicians have more experience and they can use mathematical models based on the average temperature in your area to decide whether the A/C is needed or not.

Furthermore, due the 24 months full warranty, it is in our interest to provide you with a product that will run smoothly and with no problems.

Latest Installations

The images below and the one at the top of the post, are taken from a recent installation in Greece of a proMarket 410 with Air Conditioning (4x3 meters).

Foto 1 | Mounting

Foto 2 | Rear View

Foto 3 | Closeup