Seamless A/V Control in 45 Rooms of Corporate Headquarters

Henkel Dial Corp. needed a versatile control and automation system for 45 rooms including a training room, conference rooms and more.

October 30, 2013 TD Staff Leave a Comment

Integrator L3AV’s first task was to fully integrate and connect a total of 45 rooms—a 60-seat training room/lecture hall, conference rooms, executive boardroom, cafeteria, mezzanine, and a focus room.

Using a dynamic source feed routed and controlled from the headend, L3AV delivered an array of media sources throughout the building.

The feed, which includes 12 Polycom HDX 9000s Video Conferencing systems, eight Sony digital signage players, eight DirecTV satellite receivers, PC and DVD player, plus audio/video feeds from all other rooms, is automated in the headend by a Crestron PRO2 Dual Bus Control System, effectively integrating all multimedia technology into a single, centrally managed platform

In all of the conference rooms, Crestron TPMC-8T touchpanels provide intuitive user interfaces with one-touch presets that enable control of an HD projector, 40-inch flat panel LCD, PC, DVD player, PTZ camera, and ceiling-mounted microphones for video conferencing and corporate presentations.

The integrator installed the audiovisual equipment in the gym.

“We researched who the client was and what their business focus was,” said Alan Rook, director of programming at L3AV, which is based in Mesa, Arizona. “We took their focus and goals as direction for our programming and design, and created processes using a simple interface to assist in the conservation of resources.”

“We created a versatile, dynamic system that allows them to route audio or video feeds from anywhere in the building and patch to any meeting space, which provides flexibility for any user demands that arise,” said Rooks. “This not only saves a lot of time, but conserves valuable resources and accommodates all end users.

Centralized control is courtesy of Crestron’s RoomView software, which provides room scheduling and resource allocation, remote control access to all touchpanels, maintenance and asset tracking, and device usage analytics across the campus, all from any web browser.

Staff can also take over remotely and communicate with users in real-time via two-way text messaging to any touchpanel, which from a monetary perspective reduces response and resolutions times and support costs.

“RoomView provides flexibility for Henkel to manage building-wide schedules and reduces the time required for staff to stay onsite to ensure rooms are properly shut down,” Rook noted.

“They can create individual schedules for certain displays or rooms, or a broad schedule to shut down all controlled technology at a preset time. This feature alone will result in substantial cost savings in electricity and projector lamp conservation,” Rook said.

Enabling videoconferencing from each of the company’s 30 conference rooms is a central 12-unit Polycom Video Conferencing Codec (VCC) farm with an advance queuing system interface, resulting in significantly enhanced service levels to upper management with fast and reliable VC connections, and the elimination of pulling cables down hallways for impromptu VC meetings.

Also in use at the Henkel Dial headquarters is a Crestron Xpanel integrated with the IP-based MC2E control system, allowing all networked AV equipment to be managed from any internet connection or mobile device and giving staff the control of the headend from virtually anywhere.

Founded in 1876 in Germany, Henkel AG and Co., has a strong foothold in consumer and industrial businesses, including such well-known brands such as Persil and Loctite. When the Fortune Global 500 company acquired Dial Corp. in Scottsdale, Arizona, expanding its personal care and household cleaning market, it enlisted the help of AV integration firm Level 3 Audio Visual (L3AV) to outfit its sprawling corporate campus with a Crestron control system to manage, monitor, and control global video conferencing systems, campus-wide AV distribution, digital signage, as well as shades and drapes throughout the property.

Connecting 45 Rooms

L3AV’s first task was to fully integrate and connect a total of 45 rooms—a 60-seat training room/lecture hall, conference rooms, executive boardroom, cafeteria, mezzanine, and a focus room. Using a dynamic source feed routed and controlled from the headend, L3AV delivered an array of media sources throughout the building. The feed, which includes 12 Polycom HDX 9000s Video Conferencing systems, eight Sony digital signage players, eight DirecTV satellite receivers, PC and DVD player, plus audio/video feeds from all other rooms, is automated in the headend by a Crestron PRO2 Dual Bus Control System, effectively integrating all multimedia technology into a single, centrally managed platform.

The theater-style training room features a podium-mounted TPS-15L touchpanel, which controls two 16:9 HD projectors, two PTZ cameras, side-by-side 10-foot screens, and microphones, while a TPMC-8X touchpanel controls multimedia systems in the corporate café, including wide format projector, two 40-inch LCDs for digital signage, two cameras, and a wireless microphone system used for reproduction and video conferencing.

A TPS-12 touchpanel in the CEO’s personal boardroom provides one-touch control of a 16:9 projector, 16 tabletop boundary mics for video conferencing, a 52-inch HD flat panel screen, in addition to the standard presentation configuration.

Eco-Friendly Video Conferencing

In keeping with Henkel ecofriendly strategy, all meeting rooms are configured for advance videoconferencing capabilities—eliminating waste in travel, while saving on fuel and money.

“I’ve been able to move into a new building with 10 more conference rooms than our previous facility, increased our videoconferencing capabilities, implemented new digital signage technology, and I haven’t needed to hire any extra staff to cover our additional responsibilities,” said Greg Wolf, director of AV services at Henkel Dial.

Campus-wide and Centralized Control

A TPS-15 touchscreen in the IT command center provides intuitive menu options to enable seamless routing of presentation systems, cameras, microphones, satellite TV receivers, computers, and VC units to conference rooms, signage displays, and other monitors with a few quick button presses. Other settings for equipment such as microphones, system-wide audio and digital signage, are also push-button simple, with the headend GUI providing consistency with all panels throughout the building.

Centralized control is done through Crestron’s RoomView software, which provides room scheduling and resource allocation, remote control access to all touchpanels, maintenance and asset tracking, and device usage analytics across the campus, all from any web browser. Staff can also take over remotely and communicate with users in real-time via two-way text messaging to any touchpanel, which from a monetary perspective reduces response and resolutions times and support costs.

“RoomView provides flexibility for Henkel to manage building-wide schedules and reduces the time required for staff to stay onsite to ensure rooms are properly shut down,” Rook noted. “They can create individual schedules for certain displays or rooms, or a broad schedule to shut down all controlled technology at a preset time. This feature alone will result in substantial cost savings in electricity and projector lamp conservation.”

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!