Amid technological innovations, development strategies undertaken in vertical markets and sustainability, Philips professional displays’ ISE 2023 was full of insights and reasons for interest. We talked about it, in Barcelona, with Andrea Castelnuovo, Sales Director Italy, Greece, Malta & Cyprus, and Luca Guariniello, Marketing Manager Italy, and a lively and purposeful picture emerged, with many novelties and several confirmations.
“Two years ago, the PPDS trading name was created to unite the two souls of our company, that is, the digital signage and hospitality divisions,” Castelnuovo began, “with the strategic goal of devoting more attention to large end users, while at the same time supporting our direct customers by focusing on certain markets that are important to us, such as Corporate, Retail, Education and Hospitality. During the pandemic, we have not stopped, and our R&D departments have indeed worked hard to enable us today, for example, to launch Wave, a cloud-based software platform, which is the first step in the logic of the complete solution we propose with PPDS.”
Wave is a cloud-based system developed to manage Philips content, TVs and displays equipped with Android SoCs. It is a sustainable and future-proof software solution that is secure, easy to use, and easy to integrate. Wave basically allows integrators and customers to control display groups of any size, and developers to easily access their professional functions, even across different platforms and devices.
“In addition,” Castelnuovo continues, “we are increasingly trying to offer opportunities and attention to the real needs of major players in the Italian market and beyond. Compared to other vendors, for example, we are differentiated by a global approach, well represented by our Global Partner Alliance concept, which as a Philips services ecosystem, allows us to follow international projects with IKAM resources and teams dedicated to specific market sectors.”
“The launch of PPDS has undoubtedly marked a change of mindset,” adds Luca Guariniello, “which certainly requires time for refinement, but which in the long run I believe can inspire more comprehensive and successful displays and solutions. Alongside what we propose, however, our direct partners play a key role in project implementation and remain at the center of our sales and development processes.”
What about ISE 2023? How did the event go for Philips?
Replied again by Luca Guariniello: “In an interpretative key, this year we could speak of a multiphase approach for us, with solid themes that look at strengthening the channel-with an increasingly evolved Partner Program and new technical certifications-others more liquid in nature that touch on aspects in constant flux-relating to the dynamics of relations with end users and the development of GPA-and finally those of an aeriform perspective, integrating ideas, actions and sensibilities close to the urgent demands of sustainability.”
“Social and environmental responsibility is a topic of general interest, which sees us engaged in a concrete way with new eco-friendly products; this is the case with Philips Tableaux, an E-paper technology display, presented right here at ISE 2023 in the unprecedented 16:9 25-inch format with 60,000 colors; it is a signage innovation that enables low-power and low-emission digital signage systems, with a panel that displays the image, taking advantage of ambient lighting and without power supply.”
“We certainly cannot be zero-impact, however, we can reduce waste and consumption a lot, aiming at the use of construction elements that comply with the eco-design guidelines of the European Community; the next Philips QE display series for example will come to the market with back covers and packaging made entirely of recycled and recyclable materials, while the printing of soy packaging will be reduced by 50 percent and the containment of cables, accessories and monitors, will use plastic-free solutions.”
The talk at the Philips booth at ISE 2023 then closed with some remarks on the first event dedicated to end users and Global Alliance partners, held in London last November, and where a variety of product prototypes were presented. “The idea,” explains Andrea Castelnuovo, “was to ask end customers for their opinion on the products to be developed with respect to their designs and expectations. So the event itself allowed us to direct development choices toward the prototypes that turned out to be most interesting, and of these some, such as E-paper displays or transparent led walls can be found right here at ISE.”
“It was the first event of this kind for us,” Andrea Castelnuovo resumed, “and it was also very useful for creating interactions, new ideas and business, among the guests themselves, many of them from vertical markets that are really important for our business.
Finally, Luca Guariniello, with a view to future projects, anticipates that “a new international GPA event is already planned for this year, and two events in Italy are also being planned, with a more local character, but conceived with the same philosophy of sharing and relating with end users and partners.”
