TesiraLUX™ Supports a Shift Toward a More Network-Based Organization
Located in Langen, Germany, Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket develops and manufactures parts and other repair solutions for a variety of passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and farming equipment. This division also provides in-depth training seminars, assembly tips, and installation instructions. With operations in dozens of cities, Schaeffler provides parts and support all over the world. In order to communicate effectively with stakeholders and customers, Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket required a modern conferencing solution for its newly refurbished boardroom.
SUMMARY
Location: Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket GmbH & Co. Langen (Hessen), Germany
Facility Scope: Schaeffler sought to upgrade the 18-seat boardroom in its Automotive Aftermarket facility to accommodate modern technology and flexible usage, with the ability to support presentations, videoconferencing, and broadcast functions.
Consultant: Ingenieurbüro Schindler
Biamp Product Family: Tesira®
Objectives: Contribute to the company’s overall commitment to building a culture of transparency and openness by supporting a new open office layout and adding flexible technology to the newly-redesigned boardroom.
Solution: TesiraLUX™, TesiraFORTÉ® AVB VI, and Tesira AMP-4175.
Outcome: The Tesira product family provided the flexibility and power to support a variety of functions, including traditional conferencing, teleconferencing, and livestreaming.
THE CHALLENGE
Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket began the multi-year process of upgrading a facility at its headquarters in order to modernize its daily operations and implement an open office floorplan. The facility’s 18-seat boardroom was the primary focus of the upgrade. This boardroom required considerable flexibility to accommodate its three primary uses: videoconferencing, presentation, and broadcast.
As a division of Schaeffler, the Automotive Aftermarket company was bound by specific policies and technological requirements, which presented some additional challenges for the installation. The greatest challenge, however, was incorporating complex USB requirements for the touch panel interfaces in the boardroom.
THE SOLUTION
Bernd Schindler, Schaeffler’s longtime AV consultant, immediately identified this renovation as a chance to upgrade the ways in which AV signals were distributed in the boardroom. To do this, he decided to implement the world’s first TesiraLUX installation.
Employees and site visitors have access to a 98-inch touch-enabled screen mounted on the boardroom wall, which supports multimedia presentations when the space is arranged in a traditional boardroom layout. In addition, presenters are able to connect their laptops and other devices to the screen using USB, HDMI, and Microsoft Surface Dock connections housed in the table. Touch signals are routed into the system via USB into switchable USB-over-IP extenders.
Paired with an AVB-enabled Extreme Networks switch, TesiraLUX manages all video distribution over the network, with four encoders and four decoders split evenly below the table and in the adjacent rack room. A control panel allows for in-room control of the boardroom’s HVAC system, displays, sources, and lighting. A Biamp TesiraFORTÉ AVB VI device handles all DSP and audio networking, and Tesira AMP-4175 amplifiers are installed below each screen. To accommodate the room’s newly minimalistic aesthetic, none of the room’s loudspeakers are visible. Instead, they are integrated into the walls and ceiling, with a subwoofer installed around each display. Finally, the room’s satellite tuner and presentation system allow participants to record and stream content, share screens wirelessly, and conduct direct collaboration activities, all without requiring a laptop.
Because the room supports multiple functions, the furniture is modular and can be rearranged to accommodate a variety of activities. For videoconferencing, the tables are shifted into a U-shape that faces an 85-inch wall-mounted display. A USB camera is installed above the display, with an AV bridge device installed beneath the table to accommodate videoconferencing via Skype for Business® and to allow meetings to be captured and streamed to other locations.
Regardless of the room’s configuration, each pair of seats includes a microphone that is embedded in the table, as well as a flush-mount capacitive touch switch and an LED to indicate whether the microphone is on or off. If preferred, presenters can also connect AVB-enabled clip-on microphones to the system.
I WAS AWARE THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST INSTALLATION IN THE WORLD TO USE TESIRALUX. FROM THE BEGINNING, IT WORKED BETTER AND WAS MUCH MORE STABLE THAN SOLUTIONS FROM OTHER MANUFACTURERS THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE MARKET FOR YEARS. THAT’S ONE THING I LOVE ABOUT BIAMP! YOU CAN TRUST THAT IT JUST WORKS. –Bernd Schindler Ingenieurbüro Schindler
EQUIPMENT LIST
(4) TesiraLUX IDH-1
(4) TesiraLUX OH-1
(1) TesiraFORTÉ AVB
(1) Tesira AMP-8175R
(1) Tesira AMP-4175R
(2) Tesira EX-LOGIC
(2) Tesira EX-IN Extreme Networks X450-G2-24t-10GE4 sw
BY USING AVB NETWORKING, WE ELIMINATED THE NEED FOR INTERCONNECTIONS, PARTICULARLY ANALOG CONNECTIONS, BETWEEN AUDIO AND VIDEO SYSTEMS, MAKING THE ENTIRE INSTALLATION MUCH MORE EFFICIENT. – Bernd Schindler Ingenieurbüro Schindler
CONCLUSION
The boardroom installation tested the strict regulations put in place by the main Schaeffler office, since the Tesira platform allowed AV signals to be distributed over the company’s network. TesiraLUX was easy to install and configure, with only two hours required to get the system up and running.
Many of the other meeting rooms in the facility have yet to receive updates, and the differences between these spaces are startling. In the rooms with older technology, microphones are open at all times and tend to pick up unwanted ambient noises, such as the sound of meeting participants stirring coffee with a metal spoon or shuffling papers. The microphones in the newly remodeled board room are integrated into the table, and can be turned on and off individually as needed. Schaeffler board members and employees are eager to implement the next phase of the remodel and bring modern technology to all of the facility’s meeting rooms in the future.
ABOUT BIAMP SYSTEMS
Biamp Systems, LLC is a leading provider of innovative, networked media systems that power the world’s most sophisticated audio/video installations. The company is recognized worldwide for delivering high-quality products and backing each one with a commitment to exceptional customer service.
Biamp is dedicated to creating products that drive the evolution of communication through sight and sound. The award-winning Biamp product suite includes: Tesira® media system for digital audio and video networking, Devio® collaboration tool for modern workplaces, Audia® digital audio platform, Nexia® digital signal processors, and Vocia® networked public address and voice evacuation system. Each has its own specific feature set that can be customized and integrated in a wide range of applications, including corporate boardrooms, conference centers, huddle rooms, performing arts venues, courtrooms, hospitals, transportation hubs, campuses and multi-building facilities.
Founded in 1976, Biamp is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, USA, with additional engineering operations in Brisbane, Australia and Rochester, New York. For more information on Biamp, please visit www.biamp.com.
