Modulex

THE MODULEX HISTORY

1963. Modulex was established as an independent company in 1963. That year, Architectural models were the first Modulex product introduced into the Danish market. The following year this product was launched in England and Germany.

1965. Due to the sales of Architectural models being lower than expected, in 1965, the production and sales of the models were switched to an Industrial layout. It turned out that demand for this product was considerably higher than for the first product, which created a solid basis for the future development of Modulex. In 1966 and 1967, the Control board was introduced. This product did not sell very well initially, but in the following years, Modulex A/S built a software kit for this product which increased sales. In 1972 another planning product was introduced: Pocket boards. Encouraged by the success of planning systems, Modulex started developing a new product line: Sign Systems.

1974. After 2-3 years of development and market research, Modulex introduced the first sign system, which would later be known as Interior 10. This was a highly flexible sign system made of components and knop foil. At that time, the assortment did not comprise permanent signs. In 1974, the new sign system received the coveted ID prize, awarded annually to the best Danish design. From 1975 to 1976, two new planning systems were introduced: T-cards and Follow-up files.

1976. The sign system introduced in 1974 was finally named Interior 10. On top of that, permanent signs were included in the assortment, and Modulex now had its first total sign system, which would turn out to be trendsetting for all sign systems in the market. Having sold signs for some years, Modulex realised it was not enough to produce interior signs. There was also a need for exterior signs, which Modulex could not yet deliver.

1979. The exterior sign system developed to match this need was known as Exterior 500 and today remains the largest and most cost-demanding project since the start of Modulex in 1963. As a consequence of the Exterior 500, the number of special aluminium profiles rose from 18 to 31 and the number of panels rose from 45 to 96. The total number of articles in the assortment increased from 121 to 189 (excl. accessories).

1982. The signage of the seventies was defined by plain information, signs were black, and the text font was Helvetica. The signage of the eighties, however, turned towards colours and new typefaces as more customised signs were requested. To meet this demand, the Interior 20 permanent sign system was developed. 1982 was also the year in which Modulex entered the Middle East market. To meet the market requirements, an Arabic component system was developed, which used components and knop foil like the first Modulex system models. In 1983, this component system received the IG prize (a sister award to the ID prize) for the best graphic design. In 1982, a new planning system was launched. This system was known as Plancopy.

1983. Despite having a busy year in 1982, Modulex introduced another novelty in 1983: Interior 20 Flex. Some years later, this product would become, together with the Interior 20 system, the dominating sign system in many markets.

1984. In 1984, Modulex launched a sign system that gave designers and architects unprecedented possibilities within graphics and design. This new sign system was the Interior 30. Many years of intensive market research and development preceded the introduction of this system. With the Interior 30, Modulex now had the broadest assortment within the sign trade industry and could now offer individual sign solutions tailored to the specific needs of each consumer. In 1984, a new business unit was created within Modulex. The technological development within electronic communication made it natural to develop and market signs with electronic text. Digital signs had many advantages regarding the maintenance and updating of text. Inspired by Interior 10, the first digital product –EDS 700 –was introduced. As this chronology covers “mechanical signs”, the extensive development of electronic products, which took place in the following years, will not be covered.

1988. In 1988, the Interior 20 launched in 1983/84 was revised to conform intensified market requirements, e.g., lockable signs.

1991. In the autumn of 1991, Modulex launched a new sign, a monolith system named Manhattan. It was a success from the very start. The system was developed to be an impressive and impactful sign for companies and other prestige projects. Manhattan made it possible to construct signs in more than 700 ways from only 15 standard panel dimensions. Manhattan was one of the first systems of its kind on the market. In September 1991, Modulex was certified according to ISO 9001 after many years of work with a quality system.

1992. A special line of products was developed for the North American market based on two products, Interior 10 and Interior 20. The new product line was developed to comply with a law requiring raised letters and Braille on all door signs. Since 1974, the injection moulded number and letter components were the only method for flexible texting of signs. This method was under pressure from modern digital technology. Electronic text processing systems were integrated into all personal computers, enabling the manufacture of signs with paper inserts as the basic element of the flexible text. At the end of the year, Panorama was introduced, a very flexible door sign displaying text by means of special paper and a software program. The customer could write the text on his own computer and thereby update all his door signs in a quick, easy, and low-cost way.