As price pressure grows, automation is becoming critical in the LED market. Start-up Arterio promises quotes in minutes — and has already convinced major manufacturers. invidis sat down with co-founder Alex Allain.
Arterio: “Many LED Manufacturers Waste Enormous Resources”
The range of sizes and formats for LED walls is virtually limitless. At one end are all-in-one displays delivered as standard products; at the other, highly complex custom designs built for specific spaces. Some come as ready-made solutions, while others demand extensive engineering work.
Most LED projects, however, fall somewhere in between—tailor-made, yet built from standardized components. Despite this, many providers still design these installations manually, often relying on Excel spreadsheets. As a result, producing a complete quotation package can take days, sometimes weeks.
From days to minutes
This is where the Californian start-up Arterio steps in. About two years ago, the company launched software designed to complete the entire process in just three minutes. Today, it’s already in use by major suppliers such as Sharp.
“Many LED manufacturers waste enormous resources on configuration,” explains Alex Allain, CRO and co-founder of Arterio. “Engineers repeat the same steps again and again. Automation offers huge potential here.”
At the core of Arterio’s solution is its Internal Configurator, which generates a complete, technically accurate display configuration. The software is hardware-agnostic, supporting LED panels and controllers from multiple manufacturers. Users simply upload product data, which Arterio’s algorithms process automatically.
Automatic selection and live calculations
Once customer requirements are entered, the system selects the right panels, processors, and cabling layout. It also performs real-time calculations for pricing and energy consumption. The goal is not only faster quotations, but also live configuration and cost estimates directly during customer meetings.
The platform further enables targeted upselling—media players, light sensors, extended warranties—before generating a full engineering package complete with CAD files, wiring diagrams, and installation instructions.
Arterio’s customer base already includes well-known manufacturers and distributors, but Allain sees plenty of room for growth. Many suppliers still rely on manual processes, while rising price pressure from China—particularly outside the micro and fine-pitch LED market—makes efficiency and automation increasingly critical.
For premium providers, automation also creates space to focus on what sets them apart: tackling unique formats and complex projects. “We want to give engineers the freedom to concentrate on the truly challenging installations,” says Allain. “And in the end, being able to respond faster significantly increases the chances of winning the deal.”
