Sharp NEC is one of the key players that offers display solutions for the B2B markets. The company produces display devices for all industry verticals and they lead in the aviation, oil and gas, and energy and utility sectors. Mr. Adarsh Nair, General Manager, Sharp NEC Display Solutions, MENA speaks to The Integrator on different aspects of the display market and Sharp NEC’s business prospects.

Sharp NEC has a prominent presence in the display market. Speak a little about your signature products and business prospects

Sharp NEC is probably the single manufacturer with the highest breadth of products in visual technology ranging from desktop monitors, projectors ranging from entry-level projectors used in K12 schools to 35,000 lumens projector used for auditoriums and stadiums, digital cinema projectors, large-format displays from 32 inches up to 98 inches, state of the art fine pitch LED products, and outdoor LED displays for OOH and signage applications too.

Compare between MENA and other regions in terms of Sharp NEC’s display solution demands

We have similar market share and demands from all regions including MENA, Europe, North America, and APAC. The business prospects are higher in the US and Europe considering the broad industrial demands and the concentration of several global multinationals in the USA and Europe. Many of these multinationals prefer SHARP NEC through its “ONE-NEC program,” which allows them to have a global agreement for all its installations worldwide which means consistent pricing, efficient global outsourcing, standard commercial terms, and centralized contracts.

Which are the industry verticals (healthcare, automotive, retail, etc.) choose the display products from NEC, and what category of products are highly demanded?

With handling installations in over 200 airports, Sharp NEC has a dominant presence in the aviation sector than any other. Retail is a big market but the increase in supply in this sector has made price dip across the years. NEC has made several key product investments like the low-cost system on chip based on Rpi4 in the retail sector keeping in mind the nature of the market. We expect NEC’s market share to grow substantially in the retail sector in the coming year.

Security and surveillance application in several verticals like oil and gas, telecom, energy, utility and, others have been big business for us. We are seeing a big spike in the use of fine pitch LED in control room applications too. We recently installed the world’s largest LED-based control room in the world for STC in Riyadh.

Speak about the new technology that Sharp NEC wants to concentrate on, and why?

Even though technological advancements take place often in the display industry, the need of the professional B2B display market is to have highly robust, longer-life display products. In terms of the future, you can expect to see more of the 8K panels in B2B installations. SHARP NEC already has the biggest 8K display – 120 inch in the market. We have in our portfolio flexible LEDs (our recent Adidas installation), transparent LEDs, which is something we expect more demand from the retail sector.

Speak about the digital cinema business in the UAE and Sharp NEC’s business prospects in it.

We have nearly 30 percent of the market share in Europe’s digital cinema sector and a decent market share in the MENA market. Roxy cinemas in UAE is one of our recent installations. This is one sector that has been severely affected due to the pandemic.

How about software or application support for Sharp NEC’s display products?

This has always been our focus. We are not just a hardware manufacturer but provide the complete software solution to control all the hardware we provide. Having a single vendor providing a turnkey solution reduces errors in the installation.  Control rooms applications are a classic example where SHARP NEC can act as a single vendor to provide the display products and visualization and processing software products needed for a turn-key solution.

Where does Sharp NEC’s hardware production take place?

SHARP NEC is a Japanese company. All R&D takes place in Japan or Germany. Depending on the type of product. Assembly happens in China, Thailand, and Poland.

Any challenges for display or signage business

The COVID19 pandemic threatened the display industry as well. Post-covid effects such as IC shortages and the spike in logistics and transportation costs have affected all display manufacturers including SHARP NEC. This we feel is a temporary phase and our reputation has always kept the business fly high.