Daktronics
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| Daktronics | |
 |
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| Type | Public (NASDAQ: DAKT) |
|---|---|
| Founded | Brookings (1968)[1] |
| Headquarters | Brookings, South Dakota, United States |
| Key people | Aelred J. Kurtenbach, Co-Founder and Chairman Jim Morgan, CEO Bill Retterath, CFO, Treasurer |
| Industry | Video Display |
| Products | Sports Venue Displays Display Marqueea Sports Scoreboards Variable Message Signs Display Control Systems |
| Revenue |  US$90.2 million (2005)[2] |
| Net income | US$7.1 million (2005)[2] |
| Employees | about 2900 |
| Website | www.daktronics.com |
Daktronics NASDAQ: DAKT is an American manufacturer of electronic signage, most notably sports scoreboards, based in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1968 by two South Dakota State University professors, Daktronics grew from a provider of electronic voting systems for state legislatures to one of the world's major suppliers of electronic signs.
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[edit] History and success
Major milestones in the company's history included its contract to supply signage for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, its IPO in 1994, and the creation of the world's largest video display for sports in 2004 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio. The latter was topped with the installation of two High-Definition screens and the world's largest fascia boards at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida in 2006. Daktronics also installed the world's largest high-definition screen at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, also in 2006.
[edit] Major Projects
[edit] Dolphin Stadium - Miami Gardens, FL - 2006
This project included the installation of three display boards. The first two boards to be installed were high-definition video boards. The largest of the two, which is situated at the end of the east end-zone, was the largest high-definition LED display board in the world measuring in at 50ft. high and 140ft. wide. This display run at a resolution of 736 x 2112, exceeding the required resolution standard for HD, and contains about 4.6 million individual LEDs.
The second HD display sits in the west end-zone and measures 50ft. by 100ft. and also exceeds the HD standard with a resolution of 736 x 1504. Both of these displays are very high quality, being able to display a full 4.4 trillion colors.
The third display board, which will be installed in July, 2006 will surround the entire seating bowl under the upper-level fascia. This board will be 4ft. high and 2,105ft. wide. This board has similar display capabilities to its big brothers in the stadium, but is intended to display advertiser media and statistical information.[3]
[edit] Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium - University of Texas - Austin, TX - 2006
This project included the installation of what is now the Western hemisphere's largest high-definition video screen and the largest full-screen video board in the world. The centerpiece is a 55-ft tall and 134-ft wide; 7,370 square foot high-definition Daktronics LED scoreboard, aptly nicknamed Godzillatron by University of Texas fans.
Jordan-Hare Stadium - Auburn University - Auburn, AL - 2007
To start the 2007 football season, Jordan-Hare Stadium, which is the home of the Auburn Tigers, plans to install the first and second high definition video monitor. The 2,200 square foot monitor will include over one-million light emitting diodes (LED's). The monitor will be the first in the Southeastern Conference.
[edit] Major product groups
The design and manufacturing of displays is broken down into four major product groups within the company: Video Products, Sport Products, Business Products, and Intelligent Transportation Systems.
[edit] Video products
The video displays built by Daktronics are typically light-emitting diode (LED) displays in which a red, blue, and green LED combine to form one pixel of a video image. These displays vary greatly in size and resolution. Some even include 3-dimensional curves such as the Coca-Cola display in Times Square.
[edit] Sport products
The Sport Products line of Daktronics products includes scoreboards for many sports as well as sports timing systems. Scoreboards built by Daktronics range from the very small such as those used at a children's sporting events, to the very large such as those used at major venues. In swimming, Daktronics produces in-water, electronic touchpads for timing competitive events. Daktronics has been supplying scoreboards and video displays for the Olympics for several years, but they have contracts with larger corporations, such as Panasonic, so the Daktronics name is not often used.
Daktronics has been a major force in NBA rule changes in the 2000's, along with the innovation of light emitting diodes, manufacturing the first backboard light strips hanging on the backboard to comply with instant replay rulings, and in 2004, developing a see-through shot clock (used in newer venues) to improve spectator visibility. They are used at the FedExForum, Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Wachovia Center, Philips Arena, and the TD Banknorth Garden.
[edit] Commercial Products
The Commercial Products line at Daktronics includes displays that are intended for commercial use. These displays typically have lower refresh rates than the video displays and often have lower color depth. These displays are usually used to display text and show simple graphics.
[edit] Intelligent transportation system products
The Intelligent Transportation Systems line at Daktronics includes Variable Message Signs that display information about upcoming traffic, parking, and weather warnings along highways, interstates, and airports. These systems include both permanently mounted and temporary, portable variable message signs.
[edit] Employment
Daktronics currently employs 2,300 at its Brookings, South Dakota facilities as well as regional offices around the country and around the world.
