Twenty-one years of innovation are being celebrated by Infotec Ltd., the leading supplier of electronic information display systems to the UK rail industry.

The company has worked consistently since 1992 to improve the delivery of passenger information and maintain customer service. Its stand at Railtex 2013 (E47) shows how this has happened, and how it is continuing.

Today Infotec’s products are used to provide display solutions at overground, underground and metro systems; at the last count more than 8,000 displays at over 1,000 UK stations including Birmingham Gateway, Bristol Temple Meads, Clapham Junction, Edinburgh Waverley, King’s Cross and St Pancras International.

Leicestershire-based Infotec’s first major project using LED, protocol and scripting innovations came with the supply of 100 displays to East Midlands’ stations. Almost all remain in service, having had little or no maintenance.

Many further developments followed, including LED units to replace life-expired CRT and the creation of AIM, a simple but effective content management system. GPRS signage was next coupled with AIM, enabling deployment of CIS in remote locations.

Infotec’s display range is fully designed and developed in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, allowing adaption of displays and systems to meet particular customer needs. This can make the difference between a viable and a non viable project at minimal additional cost.

A turnkey service is offered, including installation, working with partners to get the display systems working with the minimum impact on the station or public.

Over the past 12 months Infotec developed its fourth generation controller, Tetrus. This maintains the principles originally developed in 1992 but the core hardware and software are modular, allowing easy adaptation for new products.

Exhibited for the first time at Railtex, ClearPixel, Infotec’s latest innovation, uses Tetrus together with software and graphics interfaces to allow use of high definition video and graphics. It brings increased richness of function whilst maintaining Infotec’s core values of reliability, availability and cost effectiveness.

On Infotec’s Railtex stand there is a chance to see some of the company’s innovations in action, and to enjoy a coffee from our own barista. Success at this level for 21 years certainly deserves a celebration!