
Future Displays: Why Media Resources Brought Its LED Manufacturing Back to North America
January 22, 2025 by Dave Haynes
This is a digest summary of a profile story from the new Sixteen:Nine Future Displays report – a free download available to all readers. You can find the information and download page here …
Media Resources was one of six companies that kindly stepped up to sponsor the report – the sponsor dollars covering off a lot of travel costs and a bunch of time to pull the nearly 250-page beast together…
In an industry dominated by Chinese manufacturing, a Canadian company is charting a different course. Media Resources, based in the Toronto suburb of Oakville, decided to bring LED display manufacturing back to North America. And not just the design and assembly … full manufacturing.
What started as a traditional sign installation company in 1967 has evolved into a LED-focused manufacturer of both outdoor and indoor displays. Backed by partners, CEO Jeff Rushton has transformed Media Resources from simply reselling products to designing and manufacturing their own LED displays, starting with outdoor but with a view to also bring indoor fine-pitch manufacturing to this side of the Pacific.
It’s been a bit of a journey, with Rushton describing how his company went from being “a child that needed to go to school on LED” to becoming a mature, engineering-centric organization that’s now competing with global industry leaders.
The core of the operation is a purpose-built manufacturing facility in Oakville, a wealthy lakeside suburb down an ever-busy freeway from Toronto. Unlike most North American LED companies that only handle final assembly of their products, if that, Media Resources runs the entire manufacturing process for its outdoor displays on-site, from LED pixel placement to complete module construction.
The facility has a sophisticated closed-loop assembly line that Chief Product Architect Cheng Qian likens to a “lazy river.”
It makes the old school through-hole style outdoor LED modules used for outdoor displays typically intended for longer distance viewing, because of the relatively coarse pixel pitch. But while the final products are very different from the super-fine pitch SMD and miniLED indoor display products that are all over trade show floors, the manufacturing processes have a lot of similarities – including machines that pick and place the LEDs at blindingly-fast speeds.
Here’s what makes the company’s manufacturing capabilities unique:
- Automated Production: A small team of technicians oversees a highly automated process where robotics machines and conveyors handle everything from substrate loading to LED placement;
- Advanced Technology: The line includes a nitrogen-based wave-solder machine for electronics connections, rarely seen outside of Asia;
- Quality Control: Automated functional testing occurs both before and after burn-in, while products are still on the assembly line;
- Complete Integration: The facility handles everything from design engineering through the assembly of giant 14 by 48 foot billboard superstructures;
- Premium Components: They’ve standardized on high-quality Nichia LEDs from Japan, moving away from Chinese-made components.
The company also operates a second plant in the Charlotte, NC area, though the LED modules are manufactured in Canada and shipped south for final assembly.
The decision to establish manufacturing operations in North America was born from frustration. After years of dealing with quality control issues, counterfeit components, and warranty challenges from Chinese manufacturers, Media Resources invested millions in building their own state-of-the-art production facility.
“It was more just because of the scars on our backs,” Rushton explains. “If you don’t control this stuff, you’re going to get burned.”
The company’s calling cards are mainly outdoor displays – used by big out of home media companies for roadside digital billboards. Those are the main output from the Oakville assembly line as well as product going on the facades of top-tier casino resorts.
But the TruVIEW Series from Media Resources has solutions ranging from 5.5mm to ultra-fine 0.7mm pixel pitch displays, incorporating advanced flip-chip technology for enhanced reliability and energy efficiency.They’re also pioneering LED solutions for street-level displays, challenging the LCD dominance in transit shelter advertising with more durable, energy-efficient alternatives.
What started as a Canadian sign company has grown into an international force, with 80% of their revenue now coming from outside Canada, primarily the U.S. While Media Resources maintains a relatively low profile, their customer list includes major media companies and high-profile installations from Las Vegas to Toronto.
With global supply chain issues and building international trade tensions, the bet Rushton and Media Resources’ put on North American manufacturing is looking increasingly prescient.
You can download the full story, part of a nearly 250 page report on Future Display tech here, off of this page. It is totally free. No strings other than a very short form to get a sense of who is downloading, and how many.
Leave a comment