Simon Birkenhead has been appointed UK sales and marketing manager for 3M Digital Signage, and a team of technical and sales specialists is currently being trained, say the company, adding that it will use this UK office to support a rapid expansion across Europe using 3M's existing offices in most European and Middle East countries.
Although new to Europe, 3M Digital Signage has a 15-year history in the US. In August 2005, 3M acquired Mercury Online Solutions and its FRED content management software. A pioneer in the digital signage market since 1996, Mercury Online acquired FRED in 2003. 3M software has been used to drive over 6,000 screens and interactive kiosks for more than 100 clients in 23 countries, giving the company one of the world's broadest installed footprints in this fast-growing area.
3M Digital Signage software provides advanced content and network management functionality for any configuration of a digital signage network. Customers are offered a scaled portfolio of solutions able to manage just a single screen or a global network of thousands of remote screens. Content distribution can be via a local area network, the internet, CD orCompactFlash, or via satellite multicasting.
3M Digital Signage software is fully compatible with all popular multimedia file formats, including Flash(TM) and MPEG, without requiring any conversion. It also offers the ability to divide screens into multiple content 'zones' and the easy incorporation of live data feeds such as weather or news reports.
(Lee Baldock)
