Electro-Matic Visual Blog

Action Water Sports is a Michigan-based boat dealer and retailer with locations in Hudsonville, Fenton, Traverse City, and Florida. Action Water Sports Hudsonville is also home to Michigan’s first and only full-size cable park. The cable park is used for lessons, demonstrations, and other special events.

After years of growth and a large renovation to their Hudsonville location, Action Water Sports knew they wanted to upgrade their signage to match their updated building. Their existing monument sign was in nice shape but had an outdated changeable copy sign that was inconvenient to change. It also didn’t capitalize on the skills of a strong in-house digital marketing team.

LED Sign Upgrade

The goal of the project was to upgrade their exterior monument sign to reflect the high level of service and products they carry in their store, while also staying within the size and content limits of the local jurisdiction. The space of the existing changeable copy sign was a unique size that they were not sure could be filled with an LED sign.

Action Water Sports enlisted the help of their long-time signage partner Midwest Sign Company of Byron Center to assist. Midwest Sign had recently seen the new 6mm LED sign at Meadow’s Crossing in Allendale and knew the same Electro-Matic product could potentially be a great fit. Midwest Sign had the owner of Action Water Sports check out the sign at Meadow’s Crossing and he agreed the 6mm pixel spacing would be ideal for this location. Between the close proximity to the road and the type of content they wanted to put on the sign the 6mm option made the most sense.

Benefits of New LED Signage

Because Electro-Matic signs have the most size options available out of any LED manufacturer, Midwest Sign and Electro-Matic were able to configure a 6mm LED sign that fit perfectly in the existing sign cavity. This meant Action Water Sports did not need to worry about exceeding their allowable square footage and the high pixel density of the Electro-Matic display allowed their digital marketing team the freedom to put breathtaking high-resolution pictures on their sign. Now, Action Water Sports could change their messages on the sign instantly and more frequently from the comfort of their office. They are now able to promote more services and products that they couldn’t fit on the changeable copy sign they had previously. Midwest Sign did a terrific job with the installation and commented on the ease of installation.

List products and services EM used:
120 x 300 matrix 6mm Electro-Matic Fusion LED Display

"Alan and his team at Electro-Matic were great to work with on this project!  We had a problem and Alan had a solution. His prompt responses to our questions and willingness to literally walk along side of us and our client through the process was remarkable. The quality and clarity of the 6mm unit we purchased along with their customer service far exceeded our expectations.  Well done Alan!"

– Mike Tiesma, Director of Business Development at Midwest Sign Company

"It’s been a pleasure to work with Mike at Midwest Sign Company and the Action Water Sports team for this sign project. I could not think of a better fit than the 6mm Fusion LED sign we used at this location. The AWS marketing team picked up on the software immediately to provide remarkable looking content from day 1. Midwest Sign Company provided exceptional service from start to finish and I would not hesitate to work with them again. Thanks again for your support!"

– Alan Nicholson, Regional Sales Consultant

Electro-Matic Visual is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with Tiffin Metal Products as we join the digital billboard revolution.

We recognize the need to implement digital solutions to ensure we address the needs of the market and remain competitive in the industry. When the Digital Billboard trend began sweeping the Outdoor Advertising Industry, the investment for early adapters was extremely expensive. As technology improved, costs decreased, and advertiser demand began to rise. The partnership with Tiffin Metal Products and  Electro-Matic Visual has allowed the opportunity to blend digital boards into our traditional out-of-home advertising lineup and help bring our product offering into the 21^st century.

Electro-Matic Visual’s Digital Billboards are the ultimate attention-grabbing display. These feature-rich, high definition billboards are completely customizable to fit any new application or replace an existing printed billboard. Features include:

• Easy Installation – Assembled on site in multiple sections, resulting in installs that are less susceptible to windy conditions
• Available in a variety of available pixel pitches to optimize image fidelity depending on viewing distance and traffic speeds
• Includes a remote PC backup system to provide constant uptime
• Includes a remote monitoring camera and the web-based software to manage it
• Has a remote power monitor that features an auxiliary Electro-Matic controller and PC that is managed by a robust Siemens Power Monitor
• Ability to remotely power cycle, monitor, switch video inputs, and receive email notifications upon any power failure
• Power supplies integrated directly into the control panel to make change outs simpler and faster
• 24/7 service and support team to assist you with a phone call or online chat

“We are excited to partner with Electro Matic Visual,” said Andrew Beebe, National Sales Manager for Tiffin Metal Products. Electro-Matic Visual is known for their strength in the electronics and high technology industries. This partnership will allow us to drive far more business impact for our clients.”

CEO of Electro-Matic, Rich Laramee, also added, “Given Tiffin Metal Product’s rich 90 plus year history in the billboard industry, we were very excited to partner with them in selling our digital billboard products.”

About Tiffin Metal Products Co.™

Tiffin Metal Products, established in 1903, has been serving the Outdoor Advertising industry since 1928. Located in Tiffin, Ohio, our 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility is staffed by trained professionals equipped with the latest in metal fabrication equipment. Our Outdoor Advertising Line includes Panel-Free™ and Lightweight 90™ Frames, Windguard™ Trim, Horizontal and Vertical Sections, Cone Door™, Junior Posters, Aprons, Wall Mount Bracket Systems as well as many support products. To learn more about Tiffin Metal Products please visit www.tiffinmetal.com.

About Electro-Matic Visual

Electro-Matic, founded in 1969, has been providing high technology, quality, electrical and electronics based products for over 50+ years. From early electronic sign boards to the amazing full color high-resolution displays of today, Electro-Matic Visual has been a leader in developing and refining LED Displays and lighting for over 30 years. Headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, EM Visual is proud to provide solutions for Commercial and Industrial LED Displays and complete turnkey LED Lighting solutions for any application. To learn more about Electro-Matic Visual please visit www.visual.electro-matic.com.

Gerald R Ford International Airport is the second busiest airport in Michigan with over 3.6 million people having traveled through it in 2019. They offer 140 nonstop flights a day to 34 popular destinations. Flying with Gerald R Ford means you spend less time driving to big city airports, waiting in big city lines, paying big city premium parking costs, and dealing with big city traffic headaches. 

Before working with Valley City Sign Company and Electro-Matic, the airport parking facilities director rented two construction-style monochrome amber signs to communicate parking updates and challenges for drivers as they entered the airport. Both of these signs cost the airport thousands of dollars every year and didn’t fit the rest of the airport's aesthetics. They wanted to upgrade their signage along the entrance of the airport in a way that matches the look of the airport, while also improving the quality of the messages displayed. It was also very important to them to have access to immediate messaging for any emergencies or parking structure closings.

The airport enlisted the help from Valley City Sign to handle the design and installation. Valley City consulted with Electro-Matic and agreed that a high resolution 6mm full color LED sign would give the airport the versatility and high quality messaging they desired.

Following installation, the LED signs were an immediate success for the airport. The parking managers quickly caught on to using the new software and the quality of the messaging improved instantly. The displays were a beautiful addition to the entrance and improved the curb appeal to the airport overnight—the airport no longer needed to rent expensive construction style signs anymore, and they can now communicate with drivers before decision points to alleviate congestion at the entrance of the parking structures and the terminal along with any emergencies that may arise . 

List products and services EM used:

• Two 4x8 6mm Electro-Matic Fusion LED Display
• 30 inches x 75 6mm Electro-Matic Fusion LED Display 

Any external companies that helped on the project:
Valley City Sign Company

Great Lakes Composites is a 90,000 square foot facility specializing in Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) products. Much of their customer base is in the marine and recreation industry. They offer the convenience, engagement, and focus of a small production facility, with the resources, reliability, knowledge, and diverse capabilities of a large corporation. They are a “one-stop shop” when it comes to FRP and thermoformed products—assisting on product design (when needed), in-house pattern building, prototyping, in-house tool and fixture building, a multitude of molding capabilities, fixtured trim and finish capabilities with multiple SKU’s, and a full assembly group dedicated to value-add component installation and assembly.

Before Electro-Matic got involved, the Great Lakes Composites facility consisted mostly of a few hundred 400 watt metal halide fixtures. Though bright, these fixtures consumed a lot of energy which was costing them thousands of dollars each year in wasted utility costs. 

After Electro-Matic audited the Great Lakes facility, they knew they could provide a solution offering an LED lighting replacement with good value, excellent energy-efficiency, strong warranty, and easy installation. The Electro-Matic team recommended a 110w linear high bay that averages over 160 lumens per watt—putting out an impressive 17,600 lumens. The fixture also came with a 10 year warranty and a labor warranty allowance to cover any replacement costs. Due to the excellent light output coverage, Great Lakes Composites was able to remove fixtures in select areas to maximize their rebate with Consumers Energy.

The new fixtures improved lighting levels at Great Lakes Composites by over 30% while saving the company 450,000KWH, resulting in $50,000/year of cost savings. Additionally, Great Lakes earned a rebate from Consumers Energy of around $40,000.  

List products and services EM used:
Electro-Matic 110w Linear High Bay

Any external companies that helped on the project or solution and their services provided: Consumers Energy

Every day, individuals and organizations generously donate to facilities that they believe in and want to see succeed. After making a donation, it is common for a facility to honor these donors somewhere on site. Typically, donors are recognized with standard wall plaques, or some other type of list that almost always go unseen and unnoticed.

Knox Community Hospital is a 99-bed, Joint Commission-accredited, community hospital located in Mount Vernon, OH approximately 40 miles northeast of Columbus. Before working with Electro-Matic, KCH used their displays to not only communicate information, but to also familiarize the community with their doctors. KCH was disappointed in the graphic quality of their existing displays, which provided grainy images and unrecognizable faces.

When Knox Community Hospital made plans to build a new 88,000-square-foot family care center called the Wright Family Medical Pavilion, they knew it was time to upgrade their displays where the quality could finally match their gratitude. Knox Hospital wanted to build a donor wall that would show their appreciation for the donors that contributed to the new facility. They wanted to share their donor’s stories as well as their connection to the hospital. In recognition of the strong support of the Ariel Foundation for the Wright Family Medical Pavilion, and the expansion of services it will mean for the community, KCH were out for the best resolution display in the market place. 

Benefits of New LED Display

After evaluating Knox Hospital's situation, Electro-Matic helped find the resolution that was right for them. With their goals in mind, Electro-Matic proposed its 1.9 mm 1152 x 3072, pixel high-resolution indoor display, which allows images to be vibrantly and clearly displayed from distances as close as six feet—perfect for visitors walking by. At just 1.5” thick, the frame-less display provided a clear and vibrant platform for visitors to learn more about the donors and their stories.

A high resolution interior display allowed the hospital to honor all of their donors—not just the few that could fit in the wall space. Although displays can be difficult to see in open foyer areas with many glass windows, ambient lighting doesn't stand a chance against Electro-Matic's superior LED display brightness levels. The display provides the opportunity to change content and share new information every month, week, or even day! 

Products and services EM used:
1.9mm HS Interior Fusion Display

Interlochen Golf Course been a Northern Michigan favorite since 1965. This 18-hole course showcases velvet greens and lush fairways and offers every golfer a great customer experience. The golf course shares this beautiful property with Bradley’s Pub & Grille, a year-round restaurant offering lunch, dinner, and drinks for locals and tourists alike. Only two miles from there, is the world-famous Interlochen Center for Arts. Each year, thousands of artists and arts patrons come to Interlochen to experience world-class educational and cultural opportunities. Students study music, theatre, visual arts, film, creative writing and dance, guided by an outstanding faculty and guest artists.