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It began long before 2013. Two friends. One shared obsession. Back in 2005, David Lincoln, a process quality engineer, and Jacob Kimbrell, an electronics engineer, were colleagues at Sony Ericsson. After work, they were simply Dave and Jake, team players on the ice hockey rink and buddies over a cold beer. Somewhere between the ice rink and the late-night conversations, they always felt it — A missing piece. A hunger for more than the routine of corporate life. Over those beers, the spark grew louder: “We want to build something extraordinary. We want to make an impact.” That is when it hit them. They were good at two things: beer and technology. And then it happened. A crazy idea was born: the “TV Tap.” It’s an electronic, IoT enabled, beer tap with graphics on an LCD, and most importantly – it’s unique. It was the spark that proved they were onto something. They began exploring the idea of an innovative beer tap display for restaurants and bars. |
The concept was bold, the prototypes were eye-catching, and a few made it into the hands of early testers. But the market wasn’t quite ready, and the idea never went into full production.
But…what seemed like a dead end was the starting point for something much bigger.
The beer tap idea might have faded, but the duo’s vision didn’t. They started attending trade shows and industry conferences, listening intently to the real-world challenges people were facing. They built valuable relationships and honed their collaborative skills, all while holding onto a shared belief: “If we can imagine it, we can build it — better than anyone else.”
Their persistence paid off a little before 2013 when they were approached by a 3D Printer company, 3D Systems, for a display solution. This was our first major break. A commercial 2.4″ low resolution LCD display with a simple driver PCB that resulted in a whopping 50,000 production units. And it came with their first official paycheck. This wasn’t just money; it was proof. It was the validation that their skills, passion, and ideas could translate into a genuine business.
And it was the moment Lincoln Technology Solutions was officially born.
A former engineer from 3D Systems, Clint Vilim, said – “I first met Dave in the early 2000 at Kyocera Wireless, and we quickly built a strong friendship and trust. Years later, while leading a project at 3D Systems, I needed a reliable and affordable 2.4” touch display. After struggling to find the right fit, I reached out to Dave. LTS quickly delivered prototypes, locked in the design, and earned our first major order. Despite early hesitation, LTS proved themselves by delivering quality products on time, every time, with outstanding support. Dave and LTS truly delivered on their promise of value and reliability.”
After that first big break, there was no stopping.
Dave, the strategist with an entrepreneurial spirit and a fearless appetite for risk, excelled at spotting opportunities others overlooked. Jake, the engineer obsessed with solving hard problems, thrived by holding firm to his uncompromising standard: no shortcuts and no settling for “good enough.”
Where Dave saw “why” and “for whom,” Jake solved “how.”
That partnership became the DNA of Lincoln Technology Solutions.
The company began to grow steadily, securing two flagship customers in the 3D printing market: Formlabs and Markforged.
Word spread quickly about the quality, performance, and durability of our displays, fueling even more momentum. As the business expanded, Ben Henry joined to lead operations and supply chain, laying the foundation for scale, and Dom Arnone joined as a Field Application Engineer, expanding our field service and customer support. What started with just a handful of staff soon evolved into well-structured teams across sales, finance, accounting, engineering, project management, and most recently product management and marketing.
And with each step forward, the most innovative projects kept finding their way to us.
In 2019, our first-generation Mini LEDs with Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) powered Atomos Shogun turned heads and won best-in-show at NAB. Broadcasters, known for their uncompromising eye for color and contrast, witnessed a backlight breakthrough that changed how field monitors could perform. That moment wasn’t just a win; it was validation that we were pioneering something extraordinary.
Then came a leap beyond traditional displays, straight into the future of automotive. Our FALD backlight powered the 48” head-up display in BMW’s visionary iVision Dee concept car, showcased at CES 2023. For the first time, drivers saw a wide-screen projection blending technology with human experience.
Our innovation then took flight. Partnering with Panasonic Avionics, we delivered the first-ever OLED displays for in-flight entertainment systems. For passengers, it was the premium cinematic visuals and for airlines, it was the thin & light form factor of OLEDs yielding fuel efficiency and video quality improvements.
At LTS, every design begins with the end user in mind.
Because it’s a surgeon in the operating room, a pilot navigating in blazing sunlight, police drones surveying a crime scene, or a farmer steering a tractor in the field, performance matters most when people are relying on you. From a 2013 startup with a beer tap idea to a trusted partner for global innovators, our journey proves that the right mix of vision, persistence, and technical mastery can turn even small beginnings into industry-defining achievements.
Today, Lincoln Technology Solutions stands as a global force in display innovation. From our headquarters in North Carolina to our owned factory in China, production partners in Thailand and Malaysia, and global distributors, we have built a network that reaches every corner of the world, with our unwavering commitment to quality, reliability, and partnership.
We are deeply grateful to our customers, partners, and employees whose trust, collaboration, and dedication continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Together, we are shaping the future of display technology!!!
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