A few years ago, I received a phone call from a new customer interested in importing LED screens. Two months later I found myself performing quality control of a huge LED screen, the kind you see hanging in skyscrapers in New York or Tokyo. I learned a lot from that experience and today I would like to share with you what I know.
Aristotle often said that “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” I think it has never had to deal with a “Made in China” LED screen because I can guarantee you that the list of specifications for such a type of product is much longer and more complicated than you can imagine.
The fact that we have to take all these specifications into account makes the process of importing LED screens from China difficult and risky. This article is a guide to all the aspects to consider when developing, manufacturing and importing your product
LED Screen Suppliers in China
Shenzhen is the capital of world electronics: it is here that smartphones, tablets, computers and electronic equipment Made in China in general are produced, assembled and exported. LED screens are no exception.
There’s a reason why 98% of Chinese manufacturing companies that deal with LED screens are located in Shenzhen: this is where most of the suppliers of materials and components needed to assemble such a product are located. LED screens require thousands of components, so an assembly line not too far from suppliers is a key factor if you want to minimize transportation costs and delivery times.
The assembly of LED screens is a complex process that requires a quality management system (QMS) that must at least take into account:
1.) Quality inspection of materials and components.
2.) Quality inspection during production.
3.) Post-production testing.
Don’t worry if you don’t know what I’m talking about. Such protocols are an industry standard, and you won’t need a degree in electronic engineering to import LED screens; Rather, your job is to select a ISO9000 or ISO9001 certified supplier.
While in some industries working with medium/small suppliers can be an advantage, when it comes to LED screens you will need a large manufacturing company since no small company will have the resources to complete the assembly satisfactorily. The best indicator to evaluate the size of a company is the share capital. In the case of LED screens, I advise you to discard all companies with a registered capital of less than twenty million Chinese Yuan (about two and a half million euros at the current exchange rate).
By choosing a supplier based in Shenzhen, ISO certified and with a registered capital of more than twenty million Yuan, you will have a good chance of completing the transaction successfully.
Performance definitions and quality
There are endless possibilities when it comes to specifying an LED screen. Deciding what type of LED screen you want to import is entirely your responsibility, not the supplier. That’s why below I will define the main specifications that you will have to take into account, both in terms of performance and quality:
Fixed or mobile installation
This choice depends on your business model: if you are importing LED screens to rent them to those who need them during a trade show or show then I recommend that you opt for LED screens designed to be assembled, disassembled and transported quickly. If, on the other hand, you plan to sell the screens to a high-rise builder or a motorway operator who wants to use the screens for advertising purposes, you should opt for fixed-installation screens as the first type of screens is more expensive and more difficult to produce (and in fact not all suppliers are able to make them).
Useful life (or lifespan)
This is a crucial feature as we are talking about a product that requires a major investment. It is therefore necessary for the screen to work for several years in order to amortize the initial investment.
The useful life of an LED screen can vary from five thousand to ten thousand hours of use. If you are a small business owner who wants to test a new business model (e.g. selling LED screens to advertisers in your region) it may be more cost-effective to opt for a useful life of five thousand hours as an LED screen guaranteed for ten thousand hours could cost you even 20,000 Euros more.
The useful life will depend on the chip LED, the pixel pitch (two specifications that we will see in detail later in the article) and the brightness. One way to increase the useful life without increasing costs is therefore to reduce the brightness of the screen.
Water, dust and shock resistance
This is especially important if you intend to import LED screens for outdoor use. Resistance to elements such as water or dust and impact is defined by IP (International Protection Rating) standards. You can find more detailed information about IPXX standards here. In general, I recommend that you apply for an IP65 standard or higher.
I also recommend this choice to those who import LED screens for indoor use since, even in this case, the screen will still run the risk of shocks or coming into contact with water or dust. In addition, the IP standard does not have a major impact on the final price.
Product Specifications
The extreme variety of specifications present in the catalogs of LED screens made available by Chinese suppliers can be daunting, especially if you do not have too much experience in this field. Here’s a list of the most important specifications you’ll need to consider:
LED chips
The LED chip is the component that will affect the price of screens more than any other. Here are the most common brands to choose from:
1.) Silan LED (widely used, cheap price range).
2.) Epistar LED (widely used, low to mid-range price range).
3.) Everlight LED (rarely used, low to mid-range price range).
4.) Novastar LED (quite used, high price range).
Most Chinese suppliers will be able to offer you Silan or Epistar chip LEDs. Suppliers often use both (in particular they use Silan for blue and green chip LEDs and Epistar for red chip LEDs).
If you are particularly interested in LED screens with a longer than average useful life, I recommend the Novastar (Japanese-made, which are among the most expensive). For the record, our customer ultimately chose this type of LED chip.
Pixel pitch
The pixel pitch (also called PXX) represents “the distance in millimeters between the center of a given LED pixel and the adjacent LED pixel.” In other words, the pixel pitch indicates the resolution of the screen. Being measured in terms of distance, a lower pixel pitch equals a higher resolution. So, for example, a P10 screen will be more expensive and will guarantee higher quality than a P12 or P16 screen.
The choice of pixel pitch depends on the intended use of the screen. If for an LED screen placed inside a shopping center the difference between a P10 screen and a P16 screen can be crucile for the user experience, when it comes to a screen placed on the side of the highway this difference could be insignificant as no one would notice it (due to the distance and speed of the car). In the latter case, a P16 screen is preferable as the result perceived by the user will be the same while the price will be lower.
Power supply
Spending $10,000 on an LED screen and then saving $200 on the price of the power supply doesn’t make too much sense. Although it doesn’t affect the price too much, the power supply is an essential component for the screen to work. I therefore recommend choosing a power supply of a certain quality, for example those produced by Meanwell (Taiwan) or TDK (Japan).
Apart from the obvious advantage in terms of reliability, a good quality power supply becomes essential if you want to run your screens in a cold area, for example northern Italy, as cheaper power supplies have problems operating when the temperature drops below zero.
Keep in mind that you won’t have to worry about buying these components yourself as a good Chinese supplier will know where and how to buy all the components needed to assemble the screens.
Control system
An LED screen is totally useless if it does not have a control system capable of varying the color of each pixel in real time in order to give life to the images projected on the screen and regulate the power supply.
The most common control systems are those produced by LinSN, Novastar and Colorlight. Some suppliers offer control systems that they design themselves. The most important point, when it comes to choosing the control system, is that the supplier already has a good experience with the system that will be mounted on the screen or you will run the risk of facing serious compatibility problems.
This concept also applies, to a lesser extent, to other components: try to avoid suppliers who have never worked with the components you intend to use!
The extreme variety of specifications present in the catalogs of LED screens made available by Chinese suppliers can be daunting, especially if you do not have too much experience in this field. Here’s a list of the most important specifications you’ll need to consider:
LED chips
The LED chip is the component that will affect the price of screens more than any other. Here are the most common brands to choose from:
1.) Silan LED (widely used, cheap price range).
2.) Epistar LED (widely used, low to mid-range price range).
3.) Everlight LED (rarely used, low to mid-range price range).
4.) Novastar LED (quite used, high price range).
Most Chinese suppliers will be able to offer you Silan or Epistar chip LEDs. Suppliers often use both (in particular they use Silan for blue and green chip LEDs and Epistar for red chip LEDs).
If you are particularly interested in LED screens with a longer than average useful life, I recommend the Novastar (Japanese-made, which are among the most expensive). For the record, our customer ultimately chose this type of LED chip.
Pixel pitch
The pixel pitch (also called PXX) represents “the distance in millimeters between the center of a given LED pixel and the adjacent LED pixel.” In other words, the pixel pitch indicates the resolution of the screen. Being measured in terms of distance, a lower pixel pitch equals a higher resolution. So, for example, a P10 screen will be more expensive and will guarantee higher quality than a P12 or P16 screen.
The choice of pixel pitch depends on the intended use of the screen. If for an LED screen placed inside a shopping center the difference between a P10 screen and a P16 screen can be crucile for the user experience, when it comes to a screen placed on the side of the highway this difference could be insignificant as no one would notice it (due to the distance and speed of the car). In the latter case, a P16 screen is preferable as the result perceived by the user will be the same while the price will be lower.
Power supply
Spending $10,000 on an LED screen and then saving $200 on the price of the power supply doesn’t make too much sense. Although it doesn’t affect the price too much, the power supply is an essential component for the screen to work. I therefore recommend choosing a power supply of a certain quality, for example those produced by Meanwell (Taiwan) or TDK (Japan).
Apart from the obvious advantage in terms of reliability, a good quality power supply becomes essential if you want to run your screens in a cold area, for example northern Italy, as cheaper power supplies have problems operating when the temperature drops below zero.
Keep in mind that you won’t have to worry about buying these components yourself as a good Chinese supplier will know where and how to buy all the components needed to assemble the screens.
Control system
An LED screen is totally useless if it does not have a control system capable of varying the color of each pixel in real time in order to give life to the images projected on the screen and regulate the power supply.
The most common control systems are those produced by LinSN, Novastar and Colorlight. Some suppliers offer control systems that they design themselves. The most important point, when it comes to choosing the control system, is that the supplier already has a good experience with the system that will be mounted on the screen or you will run the risk of facing serious compatibility problems.
This concept also applies, to a lesser extent, to other components: try to avoid suppliers who have never worked with the components you intend to use!
Certification Standards
If you want to import electronics into Europe or the United States then you have one more problem to consider: you will be forced to import certified equipment. It is a concept that we repeat in almost all our articles: certification standards are laws in all respects and goods that do not comply with them are illegal and as such will be confiscated by customs officers upon arrival in the country of destination.
The problem is that most Chinese suppliers are not used to complying with these standards because they are only necessary for goods designed for the European or American market. The first question to ask a potential supplier is whether they have the manufacturing capacity to assemble a product that meets the following certification standards:
1.) CE (European Union).
2.) RoHS (European Union).
3.) EMC Class A or EMC Class B (European Union).
4.) FCC (United States).
If the supplier cannot comply with the certification standards , it must be discarded, regardless of the price or quality of its products. What is the point of bargaining on price with a supplier who can only produce goods that are considered illegal in Europe?
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