Selecting a Digital-Display Vendor

I’ve been selling digital message-display technology for nearly 32 years. I started my career selling for a display manufacturer and will end my career doing the same. However, I spent most of my time as a sign contractor, free to select vendors according to my customers’ needs.

During my sales career, I’ve touted the benefits of 14 different manufacturers. Although that sounds excessive, my offerings were always what I deemed the best available at the time. For most of my career, only a handful of manufacturers existed. Today, they proliferate. More than 100 LED-technology manufacturers are based in China alone.
I’m writing this column just before the 2010 International Sign Assn. (ISA) Sign Expo, and you’ll read this after the show. For those of you who attended, congratulations. The education you received by visiting booths and learning about products is an important first step. This column hopefully will provide more guidance in selecting vendors for your customers’ needs.
 

Critical questions to ask a vendor
Here are essential questions to ask when establishing a relationship with the manufacturers you intend to represent. The many off-shore manufacturers that operate today make the following queries even more critical.
 

Where is your product manufactured? This dramatically affects most aspects of your business: shipping time and expense; parts and supplies; and payment (where, when and in what currency). What duties apply to products brought from that country?

I once represented a manufacturer that produced its product in China. Even though the product was exceptional, the company required payment prior to shipment. Because the displays I sold were large and expensive, I went to China to view them in operation before each shipment. The manufacturer paid for those trips, but the process was time consuming and exhausting. I arranged my own shipments and customs brokerage.

I’m not suggesting that an overseas product is never worth the bother. Instead, I’m advising you to know, in advance, the business transaction’s parameters.
 

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Do you have an established, committed presence in the U.S. or Canada?
I recommend dealing only with companies that have an address on this continent. I even suggest visiting the American location. I’ve attended every ISA show for the last 20 years and have visited with many manufacturers who promptly disappeared after the show.

Establish that the manufacturer has a solid commitment to post-sale support for the next decade. Obviously, it’s impossible to verify if an office will exist if one isn’t already present. Likewise, you can never verify a long-term commitment. Ultimately, it’s a judgment call. Working with customers with a verifiable history of customer support is the safest route.
 

From what location will your parts be shipped? What is your policy regarding parts availability and shipment? I once represented a European manufacturer who didn’t always keep a full supply of spare parts in the U.S. My initial meeting with the vendor indicated all parts were in inventory in North Carolina. However, I didn’t get a commitment that such an inventory would always be available. On several occasions, I couldn’t satisfy a service requirement because the necessary parts weren’t immediately available. Asking a customer to wait a week is not good form. Ask for a written policy statement regarding parts availability and shipping options.
 

Investigate the manufacturer’s financial status. No company likes to expose its financial position. However, 2010 is not the time to be shy about asking. During the last two years, several manufacturers have ceased operating. Others have declared bankruptcy protection, which creates short-term interruptions in their normal business flow. The worst-case scenario is a manufacturer that no longer supports a product that serves as a customer’s essential marketing tool.
As uncomfortable as it may feel, ask a manufacturer to see his financial statement. If you’re refused, that’s a red flag. Move on.

Evaluating the products
LED displays offer many options that might appear to be similar. In order to know what you’re getting, and what your customer is likely to experience when using them, ask the following questions to better evaluate a product:

How long has this particular model been available? A model that’s too new will likely have shake-out issues. If it’s a very mature product, ask when it will be updated or replaced. Ask if parts will still be available, and if the system may be upgraded – and at what cost.
 

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What is the display’s maximum brightness, measured at full brightness? Most displays offer suitable daylight brightness, measured at 5,000 nits (candelas per sq. meter). However, LEDs dim over time. If the display’s maximum brightness is 5,000 nits, it will likely appear to dim after two years of use. Ensure the brightness level can be adjusted upwards over time to accommodate the dimming and still achieve minimum brightness standards.
 

What’s the life expectancy? Lifetime is measured in hours to half-brightness. Most displays state 100,000 hours of life. This means the sign will have a maximum brightness of 50,000 nits at 100,000 hours of use. It’s by no means guaranteed. Many factors affect brightness over time.

A display’s lifetime factors into its value. Some signs are rated for only 75,000, or even 50,000, hours. Measuring the sign in hours of use against the price paid is a reliable calculation of actual value.

What is the power requirement? This is a major factor in determining customer satisfaction. Manufacturers offer various power requirements for each pixel pitch of display.

For example, a 14 x 48-ft., 20mm-pitch display could require anywhere from 60 to 400A. For the 60A display, the primary power feed might cost $3,000 to run, compared to $20,000 for the 400A display. Do you know if a larger power feed is available? The utility cost for the 60A display might be $250 per month. A 400A display may cost $1,600 for the same period.
 

Is the pixel pitch measured in true or virtual pixels? The traditional measurement of pixel pitch is the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of an adjacent pixel. Historically, this has assumed that each pixel is fully populated with LEDs. Recently, the perception of this measurement has blurred.

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Many manufacturers now offer displays that utilize software to create perceived, optimized or virtual pixels, which represent image points the diodes don’t actually represent. The programming tricks the eye to see additional light points. Although this concept has validity, it works differently for animated images than for stills. It also requires a more specific viewing distance to be effective. Close-up viewing usually isn’t enhanced by the perceived pixels.

Some manufacturers don’t denote the difference between physical or perceived pixels. I think this is dishonest. Knowing the difference is essential in discerning if the display will satisfy your customer’s requirements from the needed viewing distance and with the type of images to be shown.

To protect yourself from this type of trickery, ask the vendor for the total number of pixels in a line of a certain length. Then, ask how many LEDs are in that same distance. If the number of diodes isn’t at least three times larger than the number of pixels, then you’re being quoted a virtual pixel display.

The cost of a display is directly proportionate to the number of LEDs in that display. Make certain you’re paying for the correct number of diodes.
 

What kind of LEDs do you use in your displays? Until recently, Nichia was head-and-shoulders above every other manufacturer in terms of longevity, brightness and consistency. However, other manufacturers are now providing similar value. Both Avago and Cree produce good-quality LEDs.

Here’s the real peril: Many Chinese LEDs are only 75% the size of the major companies’ LEDs, and they’re mounted on iron-lead frames. Consequently, they suffer corrosion and longevity issues.

Many other factors affect display selection. Particularly with larger displays, calibration type, recalibration capability, dimming methodology, service access and warranty policies must be evaluated.

Many, if not most, digital displays offered today are good products. However, your customer needs that product to be functional and maintain a good appearance for many years. If you’ve selected your vendor wisely, you’ll have a satisfied customer and a nice revenue stream from a well-conceived maintenance agreement for many years to come. Choose carefully.