Cleverdis : a clever vision of the display world


		• Chief – Dedicated to Innovation Interview with Steve Durkee – General Manager (Worldwide) • Adding Value in the Digital Signage Sector Interview with Melinda von Horvath – Sales and Marketing Director • Exciting Next Generation Products Hit Market Interview with Derek Derks – Product Manager • Mounting Solution Ideas for Your Next Installation Project • Inventing the Universal Mount Interview with Keith Pribyl – Vice President • Conclusion by Gérard Lefebvre – Cleverdis – President • Chief key contacts

by Richard Barnes,
Editor in Chief

In the past few years in Europe, with the onset of flat panel display technology and the ease of content delivery through digital networks, we have been seeing an explosion in “out of home digital media”, with displays now commonplace on retail, institutional and corporate walls or in shop windows. But just how are these flat panels mounted in position?…

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	MELINDA VON HORVATH Sales and Marketing Director EMEA CHIEF MANUFACTURING

What is important when choosing mounting solutions for display devices in digital signage?

It is important that installers understand and are fully aware of all Digital Signage mount & Support possibilities that are on the market. This is in order not to miss an opportunity to make flat panel mounts an integral part of their job rather than an afterthought. It is essential in this sense to be aware of the options that are available and to have sufficient knowledge to choose the best one for a particular application. In the field of Digital Signage, you need, for example, to consider such things as the size of the screen, the distance from the screen to the floor or ceiling, and whether the product needs to be moved so it may be viewed from different angles at different times of the day or on different days.

In airports or rental companies, this solution is often used… In the morning, the screens are used for customer information and in the evening the installation is able to be turned around for use, for example, in the shop window for advertising!

Is there a perception that mounts are a cheap add-on?

There is a certain curiosity in the market about what the extended price is for a mount. You often see entry level low cost products on the market, but Chief differentiates itself through quality, with the ease of installation, our superior and quick service, and the end-user focus we have within the company. We undertake very extensive quality control, the functionality is very important and we have developed solutions for every application over 28 years. Whatever solution a customer is looking for, we have it.

In Digital Signage, but especially in the education sector, safety and security are important factors…

Yes, these aspects have always been extremely important in our product research and development and we have several options that maximise the safety aspect. We have developed the Q-latch system which works with either plasma or LCD displays. It’s a tear-drop shaped mount, meaning the device can’t fall off, because it’s embedded in the teardrop system. When the Q-latch is closed one can also secure it with a simple lock. This reduces the probability of the unit being stolen when it is in any kind of open environment. To take this one step further for larger dealers or hotel chains, we have custom-made screws, with individual patterns meaning they cannot be undone easily. We rate and secure our products on a frequent basis, which means even if a child hangs off a plasma display or plays with it, the system actually can carry the weight we claim it will. For projector installations in schools, we have locking systems and even cages which not only prevent the projector from being stolen, but also from being damaged… for example if children are playing with a ball in the room. This is a double dose of security.

During the planning phase, how does Chief help installers and architects in their development process?

We have a highly innovative design centre as part of our website. In the case of a new building project, the architect may consider building-in plasma or LCD screens using our PAC system, which is basically a frame wall mount, into which the plasma is inserted. The effect obtained is one of a framed picture on the wall. No gap is visible between the wall and the system. This is especially important when architects are planning a high-end installation such as for a boardroom or smart house. The benefit for an architect comes not only from the design centre on line, but also from the fact that every single product we have on the internet has a CAD drawing and a technical drawing included. In addition, it’s useful to know that our main products all come in three different colours.

How vital has it been for you to listen to the market?

The importance of this is that if the customers are instrumental in the designing of our products, then there are no quality or reliability issues, and functionality is perfect. We bring about 20 to 30 new products to the market every year thanks to this R&D “hand in hand” with the users.

But also, very importantly, we closely follow developments in the LCD, Plasma and projector markets so that we can develop the products upstream, even before the displays have hit the market, so when a customer is looking for a product, we are sure to have it already in stock as part of our range. This is reflected in the numerous patented features in series such as the Centris Technology and the Pull-N-Tilt, providing fingertip tilting, the Rapid Level System that gives installers hands-free levelling and the Q-Latch system we mentioned earlier which provides installers with an extremely fast connect and disconnect.

People in Europe might think they should go to a custom manufacturer locally. Why should they go to Chief instead?

Because we have already developed any product they can think about and we obviously have production quality and quality control as a plus. By the time they think about sourcing and make a plan, the waste of time is not worth it, because we have the products in stock at a very reasonable price.

So what are your main differentiators?

With 28 years’ experience, we are the leader in the biggest market in the world. In Europe, we have selective distribution and our channel business is constantly evolving. We want to make sure that end users can find us in any branch of sales channel. We have the most comprehensive range in the world, so if a customer is looking for quality and has no time to waste, Chief has the solution. Due to close working relationships with dealers and installers, Chief has developed solutions for virtually any mounting situation.

What about supply? Can installers be delivered quickly enough for big orders?

Our headquarters are in the Netherlands where we have a sales and support office as well as a fully stocked warehouse, so supply is no problem at all.

So to summarise, why should installers use your products rather than those of a different brand?

We are truly end-user focussed, we offer superb quality and service, lightning fast installation and constant innovation. With more than 5,000 products in our catalogue we cover all solutions and offer CAD/technical drawings to help in planning. Installers love our products because whereas before they would have spent hours mounting a screen or projector, our product will only take a few minutes to install. When you have a large number of screens to install, time saving will be an important consideration. We differentiate our service through having a limited ten year warranty for Chief manufactured products.