PEORIA, ILLINOIS— When a major construction and machinery company set out to elevate its immersive training and product demonstration experiences, it turned to Pearl Technology, a trusted and certified technology provider, for a robust communication solution. Tasked with ensuring seamless, real-time coordination across its massive indoor and outdoor viewing arenas, Pearl deployed two comprehensive Pliant Technologies CrewCom intercom systems, designed to support the high-intensity, live production environments.
The company’s indoor demonstration arena, which spans the size of several football fields, hosts live shows for dealers and clients from around the world. The facility features an 80-foot-wide video wall, advanced lighting, and a high-powered sound system, creating a theatrical showcase of new and existing equipment in action.
“These demonstrations are essentially large-scale productions,” says Jeremy Caldera, Executive Vice President of Pearl Technology. “There is heavy machinery moving, drones flying, camera crews shooting live feeds, and operators communicating in real time. This is all while a presenter narrates to a seated audience behind glass. It’s a live event that requires broadcast-level communication reliability.”
Pearl Technology worked with Pliant Technologies’ local manufacturers’ rep AudioBiz to implement two distinct Pliant Technologies CrewCom systems, including one permanently installed within the facility and another portable setup that can be deployed for outdoor or offsite demonstrations. The systems are designed to support multiple communication channels simultaneously, enabling seamless coordination between equipment operators, production staff, and presenters.
“We designed the setup with three primary channels,” Caldera explains “One dedicated to operator-to-operator communication, another for production coordination between camera crews and directors, and a third ‘live’ channel that feeds operator commentary directly into the audience viewing area. That way, when a machine is being operated on the floor, attendees can hear the operator explain what’s happening in real time.”
Each setup utilizes Pliant’s CrewCom intercom system with CRP-44 radio packs and PHS-SB110 SmartBoom PRO single-ear headsets, offering reliable, interference-free performance across a large coverage area. With up to 32 radio packs in use at one time, the system’s scalability and ease of integration have proven essential for the fast-paced nature of the demonstrations.
“There are as many as 32 team members on comms during a show; operators, camera crews and announcers all working in sync,” says Caldera. “Having a dependable, wireless solution that performs across an enormous space, indoors and out, is absolutely critical.”
The system’s versatility has also proven invaluable. The portable trailer-based setup, which serves as a fully equipped production booth, enables the company to replicate the same professional communication infrastructure for large outdoor events and special showcases held at other facilities. “The portable system mirrors the permanent one,” Caldera notes. “It’s built into a trailer with its own headend equipment, telescoping antenna mast, and communication hub, so they can take the same quality of production anywhere.”
Since installation, the intercom systems have performed flawlessly under demanding conditions. “It’s been durable, consistent, and easy for the teams to use,” Caldera says. “That speaks volumes about Pliant’s build quality and reliability.”
In addition to reliability, Caldera emphasizes Pliant and AudioBiz’s strong customer support and collaboration during the design and testing phases. “They were both great to work with,” he says. “They were very accommodating with demos, and their team worked closely with us to get the design right. It was a really positive experience from start to finish.”
With the success of this installation, Pearl Technology anticipates future projects expanding on the same model. “This project really showcased what’s possible when you combine great system design with the right technology partner,” Caldera adds. “Pliant delivered exactly what this client needed—a communications solution as powerful and reliable as the machines being demonstrated.”
More information about Pliant Technologies is available at www.plianttechnologies.com.