Electro-Matic Visual Blog

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.

As stated on their website, "Bricks was founded by Brad Yonker and Nick Fischer in Alto, MI. Together, Brad and Nick wanted to create a brand of their own with the freedom to sell their favorite foods, and give customers a fresh, convenient, and friendly experience they wanted but were not getting from a typical “gas station”. Being in the industry for years they knew what the public perception was of a “convenience store” or “gas station” and wanted to change that.Taking a suggestion to combine their names, the “Bricks” brand was born, along with a commitment to improve the industry standard by implementing their brand through all areas of business."