Greetings and thanks for any help. Not sure where to post so posting here and moving message area. Been doing neon, fluorescent, LED channel letters, etc. for 20 years but my customers have not really done electronic message centers or LED gas price signs. We are now starting to get involved with them. Of course there are numerous manufacturers with their own type parts, etc. My question is with Everbrite, Daktronics, Blair, Centerline, etc., etc. as different manufacturers is there any "crash course" or manual we can give our Techs that will give the ability to work, and here’s the hard part, intelligently and competently on these different manufacturers units . Again, thanks for any help.
Hyperion By Electro-matic products was a great product for us. Their tech's gave us a crash coarse on their product and answered all our questions. They provided the software to us prior to our web training so we were able to "play" first and ask questions later. They have a wide range of products that fit alot of our applications. Might be worth checking out.
We use Watchfire exclusively,great product, simple to wire ,easy instructions plus the tech reps are great ,im a fabricater i meld these into my signs pretty easily,we have done others but these are easy to work with
My company Innovity manufactures Ultra Slim LED Gas Price Signs. Our boards are 3/4 of an inch thick and easily installs onto an existing sign. We are made in the USA and here are a small list of benefits by using us:
• ¾“ thick Panels and extremely light in weight, Makes installation very easy and cuts down a lot of cost in installation.
• Simple plug and play installation.
• Display At least 20% brighter, because of our unique design and highest grade CREE LEDs.
• IP67 Rated Weather Protection,
• Low power consumption and less heat generated. Our signs do not require cooling fans because of 3 layer encapsulation which eliminates heat in a very efficient manner.
• Iphone / Android based mobile control application would be available soon and very easy to upgrade. Web based remote control & Multi brand POS integration possible.
• Front serviceable modular components, very easy to service in an unlikely case of failure.
Feel free to call me if you have any questions
JIM WEBB
Inside Sales Representative
INNOVITY
4395 E. Lowell Street, Suite G
Ontario, Ca 91761
Toll Free: 1-800-767-4799 x117
Direct: 1-631-387-9999 x117
Fax: 1-805-413-4079
j.webb@innovity.us
More manufacturers are coming out with guides and manuals to help sign companies with their product. A reputable manufacturer should have as many resources available as you require to not only properly install the product, but to maintain and service the system as well. Vantage LED launched a new Partner Program to help sign companies succeed with Electronic Message Center (EMC) sales.
As a USA-based EMC manufacturer, we work closely with our dealers and we noted some sign companies who were new to the market didn't have experienced technicians, so we created a complete step-by-step manual on proper installation and we have step-by-step guides for replacement of any component in the system as well as video and PDF software tutorials, phone/online remote assistance and are constantly developing sales materials to educate our dealers.
Ultimately, whomever you choose the relationship is an important factor for your success. It's not enough to have a vendor or source for EMCs, the company you work with has to be a RESOURCE and active partner to ensure you're kept up-to-date on new technologies, information, and sales options.
I've seen a huge disparity between what many manufacturers claim their systems are capable of and how they really perform. I've started a blog (through Vantage LED) to help educate the industry as we feel an educated buyer is the best kind. Having worked with a sign company for 7 years, I've seen many different EMC vendors come and go through our doors and few who ever really acted as a partner...
There are several good manufacturers out there, unfortunately there are a lot more who'll sell low-quality product and not think twice about how the bad EMC which fails repeatedly negatively affects your hard earned reputation in the area you sell.
Deacon Wardlow
LED Technology Specialist
Vantage LED
deacon@vantageled.com
http://www.vantageled.com
370 Meyer Cir. Suite 102
Corona, CA 92879
PH 888-595-3956 x225
FX 888-595-3959
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Great question. We started out as a "mom and pop" sign shop around 15 years ago. About 5 years ago we decided to get involved in LED's. We have bought WatchFire's, a "re-furbished" Daktronics board (not Dak's fault BTW... we bought 2nd hand and got screwed - watch out for these!), some cheap Chinese boards, and a handful of McKay boards (now out of business). WatchFire and Dak are excellent products but are very expensive. Hard to sell at the margins we want. So... we have spent the past 3 years developing our own boards. We are using Scala software. You can check their software at Scala.com. There is a 30 day trial version you can download as well. We love it. If you are looking for LEDs I would love the opportunity to quote for you. We also have webinars and are in the process of filming training videos that we will post on our website. We also do many of our own installs so we can come on site and work with your guys. A long response but hope this helps as you walk this path.