Foster Wheeler USA Corporation
Staying simply
connected through cutting edge, yet easy to use, A/V solutions
The Situation
Global engineering and construction contractor Foster
Wheeler USA Corporation was building a new 13-story office building for its Houston
office and wanted it outfitted with new audio/visual and control equipment. The
approximately $425,000 job entailed equipment and controls for multiple
conference rooms on each floor and for a large executive boardroom to be used
primarily by the CEO and senior officers of the company.
The Solution
Data Projections coordinated with the contractor and
subcontractors to install audio/visual equipment. The equipment included an electronic ceiling
recessed front projection screen, a ceiling mounted projector, audio (four
ceiling speakers and an amplifier), a computer connectivity point at the table,
and a touch-panel wall controller that allows you to control everything in 29
conference rooms on floors 1-12 of the new building. This installation occurred while the rooms were
being finished out. On the outside of each conference room, an electronic room
scheduler, called a Room Wizard, was installed. This allows people to see if
the conference room is in use or not and to reserve the room on the spot. The
Room Wizard is integrated with Foster Wheeler's Microsoft Outlook and Exchange
server.
In the executive boardroom on the 13th floor,
Data Projections installed a large plasma at the front of the 30- to
40-foot-long room, a drop-down, ceiling recessed electric projection screen,
plus a large, conference room projector on a motorized lift that drops out of
the ceiling and shoots onto that projection screen. About half way down the
room, another large plasma was added so that people in the back of the room can
see presentations. Hidden in the ceiling are several speakers for sound, and
there are several microphones in the conference table for audio conferencing
and voice lifting. In addition, there is an audio conferencing digital signal
processor connected to their phone line and multiple connection points for PCs
located on the table and on a wall plate on the side of the room. There's also
a DVD/VCR player and cable TV, as well as audio and local video support. And
there is a wireless touch panel control that can be operated from anywhere in
the room.
Upon completion, Data Projections conducted two levels of
training over a two-day period: One that covered basic user education and the
other administrator training, where we taught their IT people how to troubleshoot
if something goes wrong - things that a basic user would not need to know, but
that they would need to know because they are the first line of people called
when something goes wrong.
The Results
We've done similar projects, but usually after the building
is built. Companies often don't think of
their A/V needs until after construction has been complete.
Strong project management is essential in a job
of this magnitude, which is a Data Projections strong suit. Our corporate
project managers are experienced in working with general contractors and
subcontractors from a construction standpoint. We also have very good designers
- people who lay out the drawings for how the equipment needs to work. Installation and training are other key strengths
of ours. We don't just install something and then leave it in the customer's
hands - we give them a few days of training so they will feel comfortable and
confident operating everything. In this
particular project, the senior officers were happy at the ease of use of the
equipment. It's cutting edge, but still
easy for someone to use it.
