A joint venture between Sharp and NEC aims to push the boundaries of traditional display solutions. Under the new arrangement, customers will receive the same level of support and services that NEC is known for along with new opportunities to leverage the product portfolios of both companies.
Shelby Skrhak speaks with
Brian Vicar, National Account Manager - Distribution Sales, and
Art Marshall, Product Line Manager - Solutions, both from
Sharp NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., about:
- A solutions-driven approach to AV technology
- Additional benefits to NEC technology
- The future for Sharp/NEC
A solutions-driven approach
“One of the things we’ve done is we’ve tried to figure out how to make the complex easy for customers to buy,” Brian says.
The aim: to make the company channel-friendly by offering complex solutions with a lot of moving parts as kits and bundles that are easy to purchase and install.
For example, the company is pushing direct LEDs right now. Typically, it’s a difficult solution to put together. But by bundling all necessary components into a kit, including site surveys and installation, it becomes a more channel-friendly display option.
All of these solutions are built around solving customer needs.
Currently, the company is targeting healthcare, education, retail, transportation, house of worship and corporate environments. In each vertical, the goal for the company is to create a simple SKU that customers can purchase quickly and obtain easily.
Additional benefits
“We’re looking to meet both expressed customer needs, but also some unexpressed customer needs,” Art says.
On the surface it might simply look like an LED solution, a video wall solution or a projection solution. But if you look past the surface, you will find options that manage your display fleet across the organization.
Other features will allow you to control inputs, outputs and power states across all NEC products. LED video walls have edge blending so you can combine multiple panels together to create a bigger solution.
In all solutions, you’ll not only find the value that Sharp/NEC brings, but also the value that partners bring to the landscape as well. Sharp/NEC is always on the lookout to partner with someone who is able to bring something truly unique to the AV industry.
The future
Sharp/NEC has moved from a product-driven company to a solutions-driven company. That is the direction the company will continue to move toward.
“It’s going to continue being more about the customer and less about how many HDMI inputs we have,” Art says.
“We have an eye toward being the most channel-friendly company in the industry,” Brian adds.
For more information, contact the
Sharp/NEC team at Ingram Micro or visit
Sharp/NEC Display Solutions.