It can cope with any weather. It does not require a mains supply for illumination. And a single person can change a poster in less than five minutes. Bannergear in Finland has developed the billboard of the future – in aluminium of course.
Traditional billboards have been around for a long time, and normally have a frame of wood or steel and a poster that is pasted on. This often takes more than one person and requires very careful positioning, since the posters are pasted up in sections. The approach that Bannergear takes is different. The poster is hooked to a frame made from aluminium profiles and then simply winched into place.
“It means that one person can replace a poster measuring several square metres in the space of just five minutes. The posters can be supplied in a variety of materials – paper, polythene, airtex or pvc – depending on the customer’s wishes,” says Kari Karesola, product manager at Bannergear.
The size of the billboard can also be tailored to the customer’s requirements, along with a choice of lighting, by spotlights above the billboard or led lighting behind semitransparent posters.
The frame profiles for the billboards are always made from the same material, however, and Kari Karesola explains his company’s choice.
“The profiles have an extremely long life, they are easy to machine and a variety of features can be built into the profiles themselves. The fact that aluminium is an attractive material is obviously an added benefit. Sapa are very good to work with. They quickly understood what we were looking for and can supply profiles in different lengths.”
The billboards can also be made even more environmentally friendly by attaching solar cells to the frame. This allows the lighting to be powered without a mains supply.
“This means the customer can effectively place the billboard anywhere that receives daylight. All the customer needs to do is change the poster occasionally. We’re also looking at a variant that is wind-powered, which will be ideal for windy locations,” says Kari Karesola.
Current customers include the German food giant Lidl, and the building company K-Rauta.
“There is a lot of interest, so there is a good likelihood that Bannergear will grow over the next few years.”
Text: Dag Enander