NEC has appointed Richard Wilks to the role of EMEA aviation business development manager to respond to increasing demand across the region.
With experts forecasting that air traffic will double by 2030 and competition will increase, pressure is being put on airports worldwide to attract an ever more demanding class of traveller. Innovative display technology can help to make terminals more efficient and assist in driving additional retail revenue streams.
High-resolution public displays can help guide passengers in a more effective way to improve their journey experience, as well as being a powerful tool to better reach different target groups via large-scale digital advertising. Similarly, NEC’s display technologies play an increasingly vital role within airport operations, including baggage control, flight information display and baggage and passenger monitoring.
Wilks has spent 22 years in the European graphics and monitor display business. Starting out at the IBM Graphics Research Centre in Winchester, Wilks quickly moved into product management and eventually sales management with Artist Graphics and then MicroTouch 3M. More recently he has specialised in market development with NEC, looking at both media and healthcare businesses whilst running NEC’s Corporate Sales UK team. In his new role he will drive the display business tailored to the needs of the aviation industry.
“The aviation industry continues to soar and NEC’s displays are at the beating heart of the airports that are central to the industry,” explained Richard Wilks. “Displays designed for use in an airport have a variety of rigorous requirements due to their 24-hour operation and multi-purpose usage – meaning that reliability and quality are key. These two qualities are the cornerstones of NEC’s business.”
Seven out of ten of the world’s busiest airports already use NEC Display Solutions technology, among them Heathrow and Gatwick Airport in the UK, Barcelona Airport, Spain, Frankfurt Airport, Germany, Chicago O’Hare Airport, JFK Airport in New York, Los Angeles Airport and Atlanta Airport in the US. Over the last ten years 25,000 of the company’s displays have been installed in airports around the world.
