Planar Displays Set High Tech Tone For New Headquarters Facility

Great companies earn and hold their leading industry positions by adhering to high standards throughout their operations and reflecting them in high quality products and innovative business practices. That has been evident throughout the 70-year history of Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) and was affirmed recently with the opening of the company's new headquarters building in Portland, Oregon. Just as it has embraced vehicle-oriented connectivity to create some of the most efficient, safe and cost-effective trucks on the market, Daimler has made information and systems connectivity a key factor in the new 268,000 square foot building with the facility-wide implementation of digital display technology from Planar.

The new building features Planar's Clarity® Matrix™ LCD Video Wall System, Planar® PS Series LCD touch screen displays and Planar® Helium™ Series touch screen monitor.

While we have brought together, in this new building, many previously dispersed departments and employees, the challenge remains for those working here and visiting to easily navigate the facility, connect with each other, grasp the many amenities available and better understand our history, the breadth of our product offerings, and the promise of the Daimler brand," says Roderick Flores, Senior Information Technology Project Manager. "Planar offers a technology platform that addresses these requirements with a complement of highly-engineered displays and video walls that are more integrated, capable and feature-rich as those on any other platform on the market today."

An integrated display solution

The Planar displays were selected on the recommendation of Daimler partner, Cochran Inc. (Tigard, Oregon), a 60-year old firm recognized for its audio visual expertise and successful corporate projects involving digital signage systems and large touch-screen installations.

In the lobby, a L-shaped, video wall comprised of 59 46-inch Clarity Matrix LCD video wall displays (LX46HDU) shows a history of Daimler in timeline form along with extensive company product and branding information in high-definition. Adjacent to the lobby elevators is a six-wide-by-three-high (6 x 3) video wall comprised of 46-inch Clarity Matrix LCD displays (LX46HDU) in portrait orientation, showing social media messaging and product content, along with wall-to-wall, high-definition videos. These lobby displays, and others throughout the facility, are equipped with Planar® ERO™ (Extended Ruggedness and Optics™), an optically bonded glass surface covering and protecting each LCD display, and enhancing the displays' interactivity. Also featured in the lobby is a 24" Planar Helium touch screen monitor (PCT2485) used as a digital building directory and for wayfinding to employees, conference rooms, and other building amenities.

On each of the eight upper floors – located in proximity to the elevators and break rooms – is a 55-inch interactive employee kiosk featuring a Planar PS Series Touch LCD display (PS5561T). Primarily implemented for employee use, each kiosk, with the touch of a finger, provides for wayfinding to offices, conference rooms and employee locations all presented dynamically, even as the viewer moves from floor to floor. They also provide a rotation of daily messages to employees, display cafeteria menus and provide real-time weather and traffic conditions throughout the day. Eventually content will be expanded to include area hotel information, bus schedules, nearby restaurants and car-sharing services.

Finally, in the cafeteria, a 55-inch Planar PS Series LCD display (PS5561) shows the menu for different meal options during the day. When the cafeteria is closed, the display rotates to other content such as corporate branding and traffic information.

Features that make a difference

The decision to implement Planar displays was based on a number of factors. With respect to the Clarity Matrix video walls, the ability to remotely distribute power supplies and other components was significant. "This design takes heat and noise away from the video walls themselves, which minimizes the prospects for heat related failures and also enhances the viewing experience by keeping things quiet and cool," Flores says. Cochran's Alan Klockman says the distributed design simplifies maintenance and serviceability. "It's much easier for us to do any troubleshooting or hardware or software updating in the rack room than it would be if we had to do it at one of the video walls."

Clarity Matrix's Planar® EasyAxis™ Mounting System was a major decision factor as well. Planar EasyAxis is a six-way alignment mechanism that makes for quick and precise alignment of displays in a Clarity Matrix video wall. "This was really important for the 59-display lobby video wall and 18-display elevator video wall where we needed to have a perfectly flat, uniform surface that would really showcase our content in a very impactful way," Flores adds.

Planar's multi-touch display technology figured in significantly as well. "Planar's multi-touch display solutions fit the tone of the building as much as the displays themselves do, Cochran's Klockman says. "A visitor can walk up to a display and engage with information just as he or she would do on their smart phones or tablets, with familiar taps and swipes and with excellent responsiveness and touch-accuracy as well. It solidifies the experience of being in a high-tech environment and at a company which, as we do, sees why technology that is so useful to employees is so important," Klockman says.

Planar's engineering excellence, industry-leading support

The engineering expertise of Planar led to key features and attributes of these displays that are evident throughout the Daimler building. In the case of Clarity Matrix, the video walls enable an almost seamless canvas, owing to tiled bezel widths as slim as 3.7mm. Cochran's Klockman adds that the light weight of a Clarity Matrix LCD display (59 lbs) makes installation much easier than would be with other manufacturers' products.

In the case of Planar PS Series LCD displays, image quality is a standout feature. It is delivers exceptional color uniformity and picture brightness (up to 500-nit), edge-lit LED backlight and Full HD resolution.