A Practical Approach to Video Wall Design

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As you can tell from the web site, we are one of the rare control room furniture manufacturers that also makes, integrates and installs DLP/LED and LCD video walls. Otherwise, we take a turnkey approach to design, manufacturing and installation anywhere in the US.

Because of our experience, I’ve been asked if we can mount video wall displays on the wall. Although we have done wall-mounting, we have come to the conclusion that a freestanding cabinet system has more advantages and costs less. In fact, if you combine the purchase of our Visionmaster LCD video wall with our control room furniture, then package pricing saves you even more. Continue reading →

Basic Ergonomics for the Workplace

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If you’ve followed what I’ve said over the months about the importance of ergonomics in the control room console and dispatch furniture setting, you know that there are a variety of ways to make the 7/24 workplace healthy and productive. However, I didn’t point out what I thought everyone sitting in front of a computer should know.

Let’s consider the basics for creating a comfortable place to work whether it’s a 24 hour environment where staff are tethered to their dispatch furniture, or a part time dispatch, or traffic management center where operators can move around the room to stretch and take breaks when needed. Continue reading →

Shell Oil Completes Houston Control Room Project

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This is a follow-up to my September 2012 blog entry announcing that Shell Oil had selected Americon to provide a control room console solution for their latest project in Houston.

Fortunately, we had time to develop a control room design concept from my customer’s vision for the room, and then proposed a variety of options and unique features like our integrated binder carousel. Our steel slat walls for attaching equipment arms are formed from the same matching material as the console and not simply a light weight pre-fabricated steel rail attached to the desktop. Our integrated slat wall not only looks better, its heavy duty construction means that it can support heavier tools than the simple rail that many manufacturers offer. Continue reading →

Options, Accessories and Partners

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If you’ve visited my web site recently, you may have noticed that I’ve added Options and Accessories and Partners pages.

Although there was a fair representation of accessories and optional designs for command center furniture, security room furniture and dispatch furniture, I have combined them all in a single page. At the moment the thumbnails cannot be enlarged as they are still under construction and will be completed soon.

The Partners page is something I decided to do because many of my customers ask about the electronics that we use in our video wall systems. Continue reading →

Adjustability Means Better Health and Smiling Faces

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You’ve seen me discuss ergonomics as it relates to dispatch furniture sit-to-stand design, however there are other things that people often miss when evaluating dispatch furniture.

First, let’s just agree that dispatch furniture with an adjustable work surface is preferable to a fixed work surface whether it be an adjustable flat desktop, or split desktop with separately operating keyboard and monitor surfaces. The ability to work long periods of time with efficiency and accuracy are primary benefits. Continue reading →

Does Made in America Really Matter?

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Just this week I had a conversation with a new customer on why our command center furniture and LCD video walls were selected over our competitors’ and the reasons understandably went to the typical criteria e.g. track-record, quality, pricing, value, etc. However, I wasn’t surprised when he said that being a US company worked in our favor. The “world is getting smaller” as they say, and the competition continues to grow both in and outside the US. It seems that the Made in America banner still applies in many cases, at least when all things are considered equal. Still, judging by what I’ve learned, US companies are making a conscious effort to buy American even at a higher price. Continue reading →

“A Blast from the Past” - The Emergency Operations Center that Keeps on Giving

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What a surprise! I recently ran across an article in the Washingtonian Magazine discussing one of my first emergency operations center projects. You’ll find the article, Where the Action Is, in the Feb 2013 issue written by Carol Ross Joyht with photo by Roy Blunt. In this excellent photo you’ll see examples of our first-generation Communicator workstations designed specifically for emergency management applications. Continue reading →

The Largest Command and Control Showrooms in the US

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You may have missed the Showroom Locations menu tab on the web site home page. Judging by the feedback I’m getting from my prospective customers, the tab isn’t doing enough to draw attention to our showrooms which are the largest command and control showrooms in the US and the place to see the latest control room console designs, dispatch furniture and four video wall systems for demonstrations. Continue reading →

Death of the Front Projector

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I can’t speak for what’s happening in other venues, but I haven’t seen a ceiling projector in a control room, or any other critical facility in many years. Possibly, the only exception are smaller emergency operations centers where the budget is limited and the rooms are only used during emergencies and for relatively short duration.

I’ll go through the list of draw-backs to using front projectors in a 7/24 environment, however the difference in purchase price, installation costs and cost of ownership when compared to one or more large LCD panels settles the argument without going any farther. Continue reading →