Samsung bought Prismview from YESCO in 2015, and Prismview now moves excess module production from China to Samsung's Tijuana plant to dodge tariffs.
Don Szczepaniak, Prismview's president and CEO, says tariffs of 10 to 25 percent, mostly 25 percent on LED components, will not be passed on to customers.
Szczepaniak says LED displays are getting bigger, smaller, more and less at once, with the One Times Square sign's 8 millimeter pixel pitch likely to become the standard.
Samsung's Prismview absorbs tariffs by owning its North American production
Prismview, Samsung's North American outdoor LED maker, is betting that owning its production lets it ride out tariffs while the display market shifts. Most LED components still come from China, so control of plants in Utah and Tijuana becomes a competitive edge. Meanwhile displays are getting finer and moving indoors, and automated ad buying is bringing in new customers who fund more screens.
Takeaways
Prismview is absorbing tariffs rather than passing them on. Tariffs on digital billboard components run 10 to 25 percent, mostly 25 percent on LED production parts. Prismview moved excess module production from China to SAMX, Samsung's Tijuana plant, and told customers the tariffs will not be passed on.
Owning US production avoids supply choke points. Szczepaniak says every LED maker is still hit because surface mount LEDs are mostly made in China, and each tariff round closes more workarounds. Running three shifts in Logan, Utah, lets Prismview control its destiny as rivals scramble to relocate.
Samsung bought Prismview for US outdoor LED capability. Samsung acquired Prismview from YESCO in 2015, seeking outdoor LED strength in the US. Prismview began as YESCO's electronics division and built some of the first US digital billboards. Its IP covers high refresh rates and exact brand colours like Coca-Cola red.
Surface mount LEDs push 8mm pitch toward standard. Each pixel is three diodes, which surface mount packages into one encased component instead of separate through-hole parts. This drives resolution up and pitch down. Szczepaniak expects the 8 millimeter pitch used on most of One Times Square to become standard.
Power savings have flattened but are not finished. In billboards power is cost, so delivering more with less power is a primary design focus. Prismview is testing vendor prototypes that promise further reductions, and Szczepaniak believes technology will keep finding new answers.
Fine pitch indoor displays will drive growth. LED applications grow about 25 percent a year, and Szczepaniak predicts fine pixel pitch indoor products will lead in coming years. Indoor placements are often easier to permit than signs in the public right-of-way.
Programmatic buying platforms widen the customer base. Westburg names Adomni, Vistar and Blip as building automated platforms for buying digital billboard ads. Szczepaniak welcomes them for reaching customers who were hard to reach, since more customers bring more investment that benefits manufacturers like Prismview.
Building the One Times Square sign
Prismview partnered with Jamestown, which plans to transform the building where the New Year's Eve ball drops.
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On this episode 2
Show 1
The finished display covers about 27 stories of the building face as four combined signs, roughly 11,600 square feet.
Westburg estimates it is almost 20 times the size of a typical 14 by 48 foot billboard.
A standard billboard is swapped by crane in a couple of hours. This one was built on site in four-foot sections over a couple of weeks.