Sign

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Sign Lighting Maintenance Programs

• John Noonan
• ImageCare Maintenance Services

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Presentation Outline

• Sign Maintenance
• Sign Lighting Programs
• What to look for in a Sign Lighting Maintenance
  Provider
• LED vs. Neon
• Discuss the known Advantages and Disadvantages of
  LED Technology
• Discuss the technical side of Neon vs. LED, with
  examples

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gt Why should you maintain signs and lighting?

• Your sign identifies your brand, its condition
  (good/bad) portrays your image!
• The ILE state Good lighting promotes a feeling
  of security and well being bad lighting kills
  people, places and jobs.
• National Crime Prevention Council maintains that
  proper lighting can reduce crime by up to 20. -
  Performing regularly scheduled maintenance on
  your sign will ensure it has a long life and
  helps prevent crime for the long-haul, says NCPC
  Director of Research and Evaluation, Jean ONeil.
  
• A quality maintenance program can anticipate
  outages, track problems and trends by location,
  and repair faulty or recalled equipment before
  the need ever arises.

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gt Maintenance Program Types

• On Call Program
• Simple and flexible way of submitting service
  requests
• Pre-agreed schedule of rates for labor,
  equipment material
• Planned and Preventative Program
• 24 or 36 month agreement
• Scheduled cleaning, inspection, and re-lamping
  service
• Complete and total maintenance solution

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gt Maintenance Program Types

• Planned and Preventative Program
• Scheduled cleaning, inspection, and re-lamping
  (or LED Retrofit) services
• Use a milk route system to obtain efficiencies
  and cost savings
• Why not perform other value-added services?
• Pressure Washing
• Sign face replacement or new Refurbishment
  system
• Painting

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ImageCare Renew System
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gt Maintenance Value Added Services

• Value-Added Services Cost Analysis
• Average retail sign maintenance call 650
  to 1,050
• Travel minimum labor 200 to 350
• Parts and materials 250 to 400
• Additional on-site labor time or equipment
  200 to 300
• Thus, Average Travel, Labor Equipment 400
  to 650
• Or 60 to 70 of charge

Example Additional 2 labor hours and 100
material for added service increases call 30 to
40 or approx. 300 As a separate call add travel
and equipment 500 to 650 thus, savings can
be 40 to 45 if performed with on-call
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gt Management Resources

• Provider should supplement your management
  resources.
• They should manage, implement and execute all
  service requests.
• Provide customer service systems, procedures and
  pricing.
• Nighttime survey watch
• National disaster recovery readiness

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gt Centralized Documentation Can Track Trends
Costs
On-line reporting and analysis Centralized
documentation tracks problems and trends by
location, by sign Information should be
maintained for future use in reducing sign repair
and maintenance expenses
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gt Highly Trained Service Electrical Technicians

• Provider should have a network of service
  technicians in your area to assure your signage
  and lot lights will be repaired
• Promptly
• Efficiently
• With Minimum Downtime
• Without Customer Business Interruption

Must be trained and have complete sign knowledge
(not just lamp changers) Licensed electricians
can be provided for any extensive electrical
requirements
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gt Experts in New Technology Special Projects
LED repair and retrofitting EMU/EMB maintenance
and repair Banner installation, repair and
removal Pressure washing of signs, drive-thru
components, canopies, sidewalks, etc Sign face
Refurbishment systems
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gt Web Access can make the process more efficient

• Provide easy web access for
• Reporting service requests
• Tracking service requests
• Storing service work performed at each location
• Customized reports
• Photographs of signs and lighting elements at
  each location
• Information accessible electronically to
  registered users

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gt Signage Maintenance Issues

• Ballast / Transformer Failure
• Neon Gas Leakage
• Lamp Replacement
• Wiring Degradation (short circuits)
• Dirt, Mold and Water Stains On and Behind Sign
  Faces
• Chipped, Faded or Oxidized Paint
• Rusted Support Columns, Anchors and/or Sign
  Retainers
• Sign Face Discoloration
• Lighting Hot Spots and Dead Spots
• Flex Face Tension Control
• Moisture Accumulation
• Disaster and/or Storm Damage

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gt Summary of Provider Requirements

• Should be signage experts with fully trained
  staff (dont just change lamps)
• National service provider or local to meet area
  needs
• Maintain a web based extranet reporting system or
  simplified tracking system
• Dedicated call center or quick response
  communication system
• Provide added value through
• Image preservation
• Investment protection
• Predictable maintenance expense
• A single source or regional solution

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Identifying Components in a Typical Sign

• Channel Letter
• Raceway
• Sign Face
• Neon

• Housings
• Transformers
• GTO Wire

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Understanding The Circuit

• One Component Fails, Entire Circuit Goes Out
• Transformers (Ground Fault Protection) UL2161

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What Causes These Components To Fail

• Moisture
• Transformers Over and Under Performing
• Poor Connections
• Spacing of GTO Wires
• Poorly Processed Neon

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Common Concerns w/ LEDs from Retailers
Perspective

• I have been using Neon for years. Why change?

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Common Concerns w/ LEDs from Retailers
Perspective

• If Led's are so great why are sign companies
  still using neon?

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Trained Service Techs and Product Availability

• Ok I'll switch, what now more problems with
  finding trained service tech, and what about
  replacement LED's who carries them is this going
  to become a nightmare.

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Energy Savings Truth About LEDs

• Is the energy saving really there, or is this a
  smoke show with marginal real savings and tons of
  soft (avoided cost savings)

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Light Output of LEDs Are We There Yet?

• I'm hearing that the white LED is still years
  away on adequate lumen output, is this true, and
  how does affect the cost with needed more LED's
  to achieve adequate light output.

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NEON VS. LED
VS.
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Advantages Common to All LEDs

• Fast field installation
• Less shop labor
• LED modules require less service
• Increased advertising value with LEDs
• Longer life
• Less insurance risk
• Fewer primary electrical circuits are required
• Increased employee productivity
• Less damage to wall
• Safer to use
• Fewer warranty calls
• Longer manufacturers warranties

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Variables that affect layout of LEDs

• Depth of letter
• Interior reflectivity
• Shape of letter
• Projection angle of LEDs
• Color of plex
• Translucence of plex
• Wave length matching

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What is the major justification for buying white
LEDs?

• Appearance
• More light over time.
• Greater uniformity.
• Cold weather appearance.
• Less outages.

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LED Retrofits in Channel Letters

• Long Life Comparable to Neon
• 10 to 25 year life to 50 lumen depreciation
  (depends on LED color)
• Reduced Maintenance Cost
• Fewer system repairs
  maintenance service completed on-site
• Longer warranty
  2 to 5 Years vs. 90
  days to 1 year (Neon Industry)
• Energy Efficient Reduced Energy consumption
• - Energy savings up to 85 (Magnetic
  coil), 60 (Electronic transformers)
• Tetra watts per ft. (1 to 2 watts depending on
  color)

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LED Retrofits in Channel Letters (contd)

• Low Voltage Light Source
• UL/CE 3V to 24V low voltage power supplies
  (Reduced risk of fire)
• No dedicated line needed (2161 ground fault)
• Reduction in of 20 amp circuit breakers needed
  (LED - .34 - .9 amps)
• Solid State Technology - Durable/Robust
• Less shipping damages (No glass or filament
  breakage)
• Low temperature wind (vibration) stability
  (operating range 40C to 85C)
• No disposal costs (void of mercury)
• Europe ROHC compliant (Lead free)
• Less weight, reduce structural material cost in
  the letters (shipping charges)

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Questions Answers