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For Immediate Release
Aug. 20, 2002
Paragon Innovations, U.S. LED introduce technology that outshines neon in commercial signs
Tests prove U.S. LED product transmits the most light for the least power per dollar
PLANO, Texas - Aug. 20, 2002 - Paragon Innovations Inc. and U.S. LED, Ltd. introduced today a light emitting diode technology that replaces neon in large commercial signs. After testing the industry’s major competitors, Paragon concluded the U.S. LED technology outperformed – and was the most efficient – of any product on the market.
Paragon, based in Plano, Texas, specializes in the design, development and documentation of embedded systems. Houston-based U.S. LED produces lighting technology that replaces neon in sign channel letters like those commonly seen on the face of retail stores.
Ron Farmer, U.S. LED’s chief executive officer, explained the advantages of using the company’s new illumination technology. “Light emitting diode (LED) is an efficient source of light, requiring almost no maintenance,” said Farmer. “Compared to neon in channel letters, U.S. LED cuts energy usage by 80-90 percent while operating for 100,000 hours, which translates to 44 years at six hours per day. The decrease in energy usage and maintenance enables U.S. LED clients to recover the cost of replacing neon in about three years.”
LED technology is a semiconductor diode that emits light when a current passes through it. U.S. LED’s product enables a sign to remain lit after a section ceases to function due to the modular design of the product. LEDs have several other energy-saving uses, including traffic lights, remote control devices, audio and video equipment and vehicle taillights.
Both engineers and sign professionals collaborated on U.S. LED’s development. “That’s what makes this such a good product,” said Mike Wilkinson, Paragon’s founder and chief executive officer. “The power supply, for instance, has to reside inside the channel letter in order to meet certain market requirements. As an engineer, I wouldn’t know that. I believe the U.S. LED technology is the sign industry’s first LED product that offers this feature. Also, environmental issues and regulatory requirements were factored into the equation, unlike most competitors.”
Although LEDs are slightly more expensive than neon at the manufacturing level, installation is less costly. “We designed U.S.LED for ease of installation,” said Wilkinson. “It’s one thing to make a great LED product – another to have to install it with a $125-per-hour crane.”
U.S. LED features include:
- LED modules that either replace existing neon or install in new signs
- Uniform light through the face of the sign letters with less footage than neon
- Low overall system cost and extremely low operating cost
- Designed for long life and very low failure rate
- U.L. recognized
- Power source can be used either behind the wall or in self-contained letters
U.S. LED’s illumination technology is now available at sign companies nationwide. Installed cost of the product varies according to factors such as the percentage of LEDs required to equal neon in an application. Businesses such as Discount Tires, AMC Theaters, Michaels Arts and Crafts, Cinemark Theaters, Petco and Sally Beauty Supply are using U.S. LED’s illumination technology.
“I can only say good things about Paragon,” said Farmer. “The product, in the end, was exactly what I had envisioned.”
About U.S. LED Inc.
Houston-based U.S. LED Inc. produces LED technology that replaces neon in sign channel letters like those commonly seen on the face of retail stores. In an independent study, U.S. LED’s technology was proven to provide the most light for the least power per dollar of any product tested. For more information, visit www.us-led.com or contact a U.S. LED associate, toll-free, at 866.972.9191.
About Paragon Innovations Inc.
Paragon Innovations Inc., based in Plano, Texas, is a national product development provider specializing in the design, development and documentation of embedded systems in commercial and consumer technology products. Using a proven, 22-step quality methodology, Paragon’s technology experts leverage more than a decade of experience in rapid product development to deliver superior products such as miniaturized insulin pumps, video products, semiconductor reference platforms and Internet appliances for companies in the Internet, medical, semiconductor, oil & gas, robotics and wireless industries, among others. Customers include 3M, B Braun Medical, AMD, Hitachi, Motorola and Halliburton. Paragon is a privately held company that was founded in 1990 by founder and chief executive officer Michael Wilkinson. The company is located in the heart of the Telecom Corridor(r). For more information, visit www.paragoninnovations.com, or contact Kay Pinkerton at (214) 521-8596, or via e-mail at kpinkerton@mbapr.com .
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