The global digital signage market may be projected to reach US$29 billion by 2027 (with an anticipated growth rate of 8%, according to The Business Research Company’s “Digital Signage Global Market Report 2023”), but we all know it isn’t easy dough (DOOH).

Even so, newcomer Ynvisible announced a deal with a prominent European customer specializing in smart solutions for the fuel distribution business to provide large, custom outdoor information signs designed to be regularly updated regardless of weather conditions. Ynvisible expects to deliver a minimum of 40,000 units in the next year.

This deal heralds a rising demand for sustainable, low-power digital signage solutions, which serves as an opportunity in Europe for companies like Ynvisible that specialize in epaper displays.

“…Over the past nine months, we have successfully engaged with diverse industries and delivered prototypes and initial pilot volumes of signage products to at least six customers, primarily for outdoor information and point-of-purchase applications. This highlights our unwavering efforts and commitment to becoming a reference in this market,” said Carlos Pinheiro, CTO of Ynvisible.

Ynvisible was founded in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2010. Initially, Ynvisible focused primarily on the high-value applications within Electronic Shelf Labels. The company saw the Internet of Things (IoT) bring about significant transformation in the retail industry, automating many tasks previously done manually. With the integration of smart chips and tags, retailers can now manage their inventory, set prices, adjust for sales and organize their merchandising with more ease.

Retailers, of course, look for ultra-low power displays for applications with stringent cost constraints. But it’s also about making custom display solutions.

Ynvisible can provide custom solutions quickly and cost-effectively due to the flexibility and low tooling costs associated with the screen-printing processes utilized for production. Comparatively, tooling and NRE for competing technologies is significantly more expensive.

The company says it spent years refining its manufacturing capabilities to implement patents developed by the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE). These innovative methods have made it possible to print flexible electrical circuits directly onto a range of substrates including plastics, papers and textiles. Ynvisible’s epaper displays are roll-to-roll printed on PET plastic substrates, making them thin, flexible, cost-effective, and a more sustainable display option compared to traditional displays. The reflective screen technology is based on conductive electrochromic polymers with the ability to change color with only 1.5 volts of differential potential.

Today, Ynvisible has offices in Canada, Portugal, Sweden and Germany. The company is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange Venture Board, Frankfurt Stock Exchange and OTCQB USA Stock Exchange.

Now Public Information Display market is their newest target. PIDs usually require large dimensions (and the bigger the display, the more energy the signage requires—and the more the user considers energy savings) and there’s a limited availability of cost-effective, sustainable options.

Additionally, Ynvisible is partnering with one of the world’s largest outdoor advertising companies. The collaboration will develop an outdoor, large city information panel. After successfully completing the prototyping and testing phase, the customer has committed to a product development project with a market launch within the next 12 months. The projected annual volume for this product could exceed 200,000 units.

At that point, Ynvisible will certainly become visible.