IN THE INDUSTRY

Escalators provide visitors with an up-close view of the LED signage totem.

AIRPORT FEATURES EYE-CATCHING

DIGITAL SIGNAGE MOMENTS

LINCOLNSHIRE, ILLINOIS—Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport serves tens of millions of passengers as well as sees hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo passing through it each year. To entertain an influx of visitors, Sheremetyevo recently undertook an enormous modernization project that involved the demolition of the airport’s original Terminal 1 and the construction of an entirely new transportation hub, Terminal B, in its place. The end-result is an international example of digital signage that can prove inspirational anywhere.

For the new Terminal B’s bold digital signage solutions, Sheremetyevo turned to LG Business Solutions to help them grab passengers’ attention, provide a taste of Russian culture, and complement the terminal’s avant-garde architectural design.

LG only had a month-and-a-half to install hundreds of digital signage products; they were more than ready for the challenge. They swiftly installed and troubleshot each piece of digital signage in time to greet Terminal B’s first passengers.

Sheremetyevo Airport required a piece of digital signage that could serve as the focal point within Terminal B as well as a landmark not only for the airport, but for Moscow as well. LG recommended the installation of a massive four-sided direct-view LED signage totem display, strategically placed to be seen by everyone heading up to Sheremetyevo’s Departures hall. By far the largest single piece of digital signage in Terminal B, the LED signage totem rises two stories up from its base, and the escalator next to it allows passengers to take in its enormous scale up close.

Made up of LG’s high-brightness LAS series digital signage displays that provide up to 1,000 nits of brightness, wide viewing angles, and reliable 24/7 operation, the LED signage totem stands out from the rest of the terminal’s architecture to display intricate animated clock towers, Russian cultural showcases, and advertisements for travelers approaching in all directions.

The LED signage totem was a demanding challenge to install and set up. A custom frame with an incorporated aircooling system first had to be constructed.

Digital signs are prominent in the Departures terminal.

“Circle and Cube.”

LED signage totem.

Each individual LED unit had to bear extremely stringent manufacturing and installation tolerances to ensure that there would be no visible gaps between them to form a seamless four-sided screen that presents passengers with ultra-bright, high-resolution visuals with true colors.

Designed in the avant-garde style of early twentieth century Russian constructivists, the new Terminal B features bold architectural stylings with stark colors and sharp angles. Building on the constructivist design philosophy, Terminal B has two digital art sculptures inspired by the Proun drawings and paintings of El Lissitzky, a Russian avant-garde artist.

Titled “Circle and Cube,” this installation creatively integrates art and cutting-edge technology. Multiple LED

units were set within custom frames to create circular LED screens as well as square LED screens mounted in cube form to offer passengers a uniquely Russian synchronized media experience unlike any other digital signage anywhere else in the world.

Sheremetyevo, impressed by the quality of the LG Flight Information Display Systems (FIDS) already installed in its other terminals, worked closely with LG to make sure that passengers would be within sight of LG digital signage every moment they are in Terminal B.

For those arriving at Terminal B, passengers are guided to the correct baggage carousel by unique, freestanding displays composed of forty-nine-inch webOS signage mounted on top of eighty-six-inch 4K UHD signage displays. Designed for maximum visibility, the UHD screens display colorful airport information and advertising videos at ultra-high resolution, while the webOS signage informs passengers of where to pick up their luggage.

When departing, passengers are guided to the proper check-in counter by forty-nine-inch webOS signage displays hanging above each ticket agent. Capable of self-playing content without the need to install a media player, webOS signage simplifies operations while also delivering the right information at the right time.

Despite the extremely short timeframe for installation and troubleshooting, each and every piece of LG digital signage within Terminal B has been operating beautifully from the get-go.

IN THE INDUSTRY

VYCOM HELPS SALON

REOPEN FOR BUSINESS

NEWINGTON, CT— Like most small businesses, Strandz Salon saw everything come to a screeching halt during the COVID-19 pandemic. The full-service hair salon accommodates eight stylists at independent stations while sharing two shampoo stations. When word came that Reopen Connecticut plans were underway, Owner Kelly D’Anna reviewed the list of requirements for new physical space setup, personal protection protocols, additional cleaning, and operator training.

The new guidelines required six feet of distance with physical barriers in place, where possible. With fixed stations for stylists at less than six feet apart plus the shampoo stations roughly three feet apart, D’Anna needed to find a way to create separation without isolation.

Her local fabricator recommended Vintec ® Clear PVC sheets from Vycom because of their excellent chemical resistance to common cleaners and disinfectants. Another benefit is that Vintec Clear is heavier than commonly-used acrylic products, which means the panels wouldn’t sway when blow dryers were in use.

With only a two-week window to prepare for the initial reopening date, the fabricator was able to acquire the material quickly. Vycom had immediate availability of Vintec Clear, as the company was operating as an essential business providing materials to create barriers, partitions, and furniture for temporary and semi-permanent field hospitals and other builds.

The 4-by-8-foot Vintec Clear sheets with a 3/16-inch thickness were easily fabricated using basic tools including a drill, a circular saw, and a deburring tool. The panels were cut to four-foot square pieces and small holes were drilled at the top edge of the panels; they were hung throughout the salon using steel chains and S-hooks.

“The whole installation process took us under two hours,” said D’Anna. “We have panels in the reception area, at the checkout desk, between the stylist stations, and between the shampoo stations. The result is stunning.

“I like that even though each station is protected, I can still see the entire salon. While I can see through the panels, the slight blue tint means that anyone in the salon intuitively knows where the panels are, and won’t accidentally bump into one. Our customers also like the additional privacy afforded by the panels.”

CRANE OPERATOR EVALUATION FINDINGS

FAIRF AX, VIRGI N IA— Most employers have a fairly sound understanding of their duties and responsibilities to evaluate their crane operators, according to a new report published by the NCCCO Foundation. But there are some aspects of the OSHA crane operator qualification rule published in November 2018 that give rise to a degree of confusion and misunderstanding. “Most employers that completed the survey were aware of the key elements of the evaluation requirement and how it works together with training and certification to complete the qualification process,” said NCCCO Foundation CEO Graham Brent. “In fact, many already had a process in place that simply needed to be reviewed in light of the new rule.”

Results were less strong when employers were asked to identify events that would trigger new evaluations, as well as the criteria they used to qualify evaluators. While some had a negative view of the requirement (Brent said a third found it “burdensome”), fully 61 percent believed it would “help to save lives.”

Note: This report is free to download at ncccofoundation.org.