Raven Industries selected Christie® MicroTiles® for part of its extensive corporate lobby redesign, installing a three-unit-tall-by-seven-unit-wide array that shows videos of the company’s history and its three operating divisions. Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and founded in 1956, Raven Industries designs and manufactures high value technical products including precision agriculture, high performance plastic films and sheeting, and aerospace and surveillance technology.
Andrew Simmons, project coordinator, Raven Industries, discovered Christie MicroTiles at a Chicago tradeshow and thought they would be an “innovative concept” to include in Raven Industries’ remodeling plans for its headquarters. Simmons recommended the Christie MicroTiles for the refashioned main entrance.
For the lobby, the architect created a 45-degree angle, white-faced wall, placing the Christie MicroTiles inside and raised above ground level. The front desk operator sits to the left of the wall and with the remodel now complete, the new employee entrance off to one side provides a second direct view of the MicroTiles.
“The Executive Team was looking for a design that incorporated HD content without the traditional limits of a television mounted to a wall. We didn’t want to implement something that every company had done; we wanted something new and innovative that positions us as a tech company. It was important that we select a robust design that ensures longevity,” said Simmons. “After further research of the MicroTiles, we invited Christie onsite to perform a full demonstration of the product, and from there it went to design and final approval.”
“We show a variety of content on the MicroTiles, basically about our product capabilities and our company’s purpose,” added Kristin Tilus, communications manager, Raven Industries. “Our purpose is to solve great challenges—whether it is in the area of feeding the world, protecting the environment or saving lives. One video is a compilation showing different areas of our three divisions: Our Aerostar Division, our Engineered Films Division, and our Applied Technology Division. For example, viewers see precision agriculture equipment being installed inside tractors and other products that are used in the industry.”
Tilus noted that the display was showing an image of the Board of Directors when they walked into the building. Upon seeing the crisp, glare-free image, they first thought it was a print photograph rather than a video. With a much wider color palette than conventional LCD and plasma displays, Christie MicroTiles show pure, saturated, accurate colors, making them ideal for corporate lobbies. The modular display technology can be configured into nearly any shape and size to create an eye-catching digital canvas.
“Our main entrance is composed of glass and has significant ambient light both from outside and overhead. A standard television would appear washed out, so it was great to find a vibrant, durable solution that solved this challenge. We were pleased to work with Christie on the design and installation of our HD video wall and were impressed with the professionalism and quality service received,” said Simmons. “With the support of AVI Systems, we were able to execute and complete the project successfully to meet our timeline. The Christie JumpStart software is user-friendly, and allows us to drive different elements to the MicroTiles.”
Packaged with a media server, Christie JumpStart is a content management solution that allows you to display multiple video files, graphics, text and Microsoft Windows applications on a 5- to 15-megapixel digital display.
