Growing Company Builds on Large LED Video Expertise…
In a short amount of time INFiLED, a manufacturer of large LED video equipment, has made an impressive worldwide impression on the live event industry. In less than a decade, they have established a presence in the Netherlands, the U.K., Australia, Hong Kong, and here in the States. They’ve provided creative video solutions for stadiums, concert tours, conventions, product reveals, airports, universities and more.
You’ll find the INFiLED HQ in Shenzhen, also home to innovation and talented engineers. “Here we’re focused on constant innovation and continuous improvement, and we’re proud to say that INFiLED now owns over 100 patents, which is one of the highest numbers in the industry,” says CEO Michael Hao. “Our products have been installed in over 85 countries.”
Great attention has been made to not only what goes out of their buildings, but what stays in. “Philosophically, our whole way of doing business is based on the principle of creating and sustaining a ‘Five Stars Culture,’” Hao explains. “It translates to striving to be a top brand of LED screen manufacturer, to enlighten the world with a visual feast!”
About the Five Stars: “We have five core values at INFiLED that are closely correlated,” Hao explains. These core values are:
- Helping customers succeed with a win-win strategy
- Focus on quality first
- Uniting and building trust through effective communications
- Putting talents first, thus supporting breakthrough innovation
- A dedication to work that includesenjoying life
He adds that the Five Stars Culture also concentrates on these five factors: customers, products, teams, talents, and management. “Both sets of core values correspond with each other.”
The Touring World and Beyond
INFiLED was founded in 2009 by a team of experienced innovators headed by Hao. “I was involved with the LED display industry for nine years at that point, which included a lot of specialized knowledge. I had great aims to offer the best green products and the best user experience,” he says. They had notable successes immediately: INFiLED products were part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. “This was significant because it was the first time that the FIFA was held on the African continent, so it was a great honor to be part of that.”
2010 was also the year the L Series was released, which was the worldwide first generation of modularized design rental product to hit the market. In 2012 INFiLED was part of the ninth Annual Chinese National University Games, a five-day world event that took place in Tianjin Stadium. “We had a big screen which was 154 square meters of our L series p20 panels, built specifically for this event. This stadium is designed for holding national and individual international competitions. The event went really well, and our LED solution was really well received. This further launched additional successes.”
Right away, the company’s products became part of the concert touring world. Close to 200 square meters of their L series went out with legendary Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung on his 2010 ½ Century World Tour, which lasted a year and a half, playing 77 cities in five countries for a total of 146 shows. More recently, Cantopop/Mandopop singer Leo Ku used 48 square meters of INFiLED’s QE3 and 180 square meters of their DF7 line. “Andy Hui’s Chinese tour used our 50 square meters of our VUESTRIP 12 to form Andy’s face with LED strips, which was really spectacular,” Hao says. In the U.S., INFiLED products have been part of recent Justin Bieber and Katy Perry tours.
Anxious to get the word out of their many successful touring projects, INFiLED decided to do their own tour as well. “We have just finished a successful roadshow last winter, where most customers spoke highly of our DB series,” Hao says. “Some attendees ordered the product immediately, with even more orders coming in after the roadshow.” He adds that there will be more demonstrations in more cities in the future.
INFiLED’s commitment to North America includes setting up an office in the Atlanta area, as well as placing a dedicated technician on the West Coast. As of now, most rental houses are buying and importing INFiLED products directly, but some individual customers are renting and buying from these local rental houses. “Our clients have their own way to rent/sell the products, but we all participate in promoting INFiLED together.”
The Sporting Side of LED
Meanwhile, demand for their sporting solutions has led to the creation of a separate division, INFiLED Sports, which “strives to bring the best of LED display technology to the sports industry,” Hao states. “The new division will offer customers the latest LED solutions, partnered with a wealth of knowledge in high-level sports management to bring a desirable value proposition to the market.” Recent successes in Europe alone include installations in Lulea Ice Hockey Stadium in Sweden, Cardiff Arms Park in Wales and Morecambe FC in Lancashire, England.
“INFiLED Sports will offer a range of stadium-friendly products including a customizable scoreboard, perimeter advertising in line with UEFA specifications, tailored LED billboards, versatile mini scoreboards and LED trailers. These solutions will include all software and hardware required for the system to be completely operational, with a range of features and functionality.” Hao adds that they are particularly proud of the team of accredited engineers who offer a swift regional response with either site visits or remote access to offer customers a full turnkey solution.
Ben Da Costa, INFiLED EM’s co-founder and managing director, leads the team. With a strong passion for sports, he is driven to design specialist visualization solutions for football, rugby, netball, ice hockey and general sports stadiums. INFiLED Sports general manager Ed De Lucy will also bring his extensive experience in sports and LED projects from across Europe. Hao adds that they are looking forward to additional successes here in North America — and they are well on their way: The largest Esports Arena in North American had their LED products installed by INFiLED partner Detailed Solutions. Over 500 cabinets of INFiLED’s QE 3.9mm product now reside in the Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas.
Products and Solutions
Their DB Series (“Deep Black”), released just last year, has already garnered great acclaim including an International Forum (iF) Design Award. “It is designed to be extremely deep black for the ultimate image quality, and made with small pixel pitch which is specifically attractive for the rental market,” Hao says. “The panels are entirely modular, with a die-cast aluminum frame that includes edge protectors and feet to protect the edges against physical damage. Yet the product is ergonomically designed for ease of use.” Features includes user-friendly fast locks, a range of protective features that protect the LEDs at the edges during screen assembly, an extremely fast and easy to set up curving system, and cable-free power and data connection. “As a high definition solution, DB series comes with high contrast, high grey scale levels and high refresh rate, resulting in ultimate image quality every time.”
The ER II and ER Series is designed for easy rental applications. ER pixel pitch ranges from P2.9 to P10. “The key word on these is ‘easy,’” he says. “It has four easy features: easy set up and dismantle; easy maintenance; easy straight or curved; and easy hanging and stacking.” Then there is the X series, which is “A perfect wave solution for a creative screen. It’s highly flexible, 18 panels can make a circle with a diameter of 9’5”.”
The HD Series (high definition) ranges from P1.2 to P1.5, perfect for indoor applications with high requirements, such as broadcasting, command & control, meetings, and more. Then there is the GM line of LED. Hao proudly tells us, “The GM stands for Grand Media, and was built for outdoor fixed applications featuring both high brightness and high contrast.”
The S Series panels are entirely modular, with a die cast aluminum frame offering a seamless visual appearance. Black SMD LED allows for high contrast and high grey level, while the high refresh rate is impressive even at low brightness. Overall it offers accurate and vivid rendering making the S series a state-of-the- art, future-proofed indoor LED display.
Gotta dance? The DF Series (“Dance Floor”) features integrated motion sensors that allow the user to build interactive content that will respond to dancer’s movements on the screen at the event. (There are more series to explore — go to infiled.com to see others.)
In all their products, INFiLED’s dedication to codes and standards is inherent. It strictly carries out the ISO9001 Quality Management System, Total Quality Management System, ISO14001 Environment Management system and OHSAS18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management rules.
“At every important place and occasion, INFiLED is enlightening peoples’ live passion with our LED products, making more and more people connect together to enjoy the wonderful world!” Hao says. They are posed for an upward trajectory: 200,000 square feet of factory area and 450-plus employees. Nearly one million LED screens have been produced so far, spread across nearly 90 countries and territories.
In conclusion we asked Hao what distinguishes INFiLED from all the others? “Professional focus and quality first. We lay emphasis on the users’ experience and try to match the ergonomic design.”
Company Snapshot
- Shenzhen INFiLED Electronics Co., Ltd (INFiLED)
- Headquarters: Shenzhen, China
- Other Offices: INFiLED Europe B.V. (Netherlands), INFiLED USA LLC (Atlanta area)
- Founded: 2009
- Led By: Michael Hao, Founder & CEO
- More Info: www.infiled.com
