SUMA Industries, Inc., based in New York City, markets a comprehensive line of photoluminescent safety products targeted to a diverse group of customers in the commercial, industrial, healthcare, education, government, residential, hospitality and transportation sectors. The company is managed by Bob Katz and Art Forst who have guided and directed SUMA’s photoluminescent safety products business since 1996.
Messrs. Katz and Forst bring a broad range of experience and disciplines to SUMA. Mr. Katz spent 25 years in advertising account management at major New York agencies including Grey Advertising and BBDO International. He directed marketing, strategic planning and creative services for a diverse group of clients including Pepsi-Cola, Gillette and Pfizer. Mr. Forst began his career as a computer systems engineer, first with Hewlett Packard and later with IBM. His complex responsibilities encompassed software programming, technical sales and support for Shell and Gulf Oil and numerous private and public health care institutions. Both Katz and Forst transitioned to entrepreneurial businesses in the mid 1980’s. In addition to his SUMA responsibilities, Mr. Forst currently serves as president of Dura Architectural Signage.
SUMA is manufacturer and sole distributor of photoluminescent safety signage and pathway marking products made with rigid, optically clear, high-impact DuraGlow® acrylic that generates a vivid glow the instant the lights dim or go out. DuraGlow® signs are made with the same durable, easily customized class of elegant acrylic preferred by architects and interior designers.
SUMA photoluminescent safety systems are installed in numerous locations throughout the United States, including:
United Nations World Headquarters
An all-encompassing DuraGlow® signage and pathway marking system deployed throughout all corridors and egress stairways of the 1.4 million square foot complex in New York City.
Chrysler Motors
Industrial signage installations at auto assembly plants in Michigan and Missouri.
Inter-American Development Bank
A comprehensive SUMA-designed system installed in the landmark 3-building complex in Washington, DC.
MorganStanley
A combination signage and pathway guidance system mounted in the tenant corridors and on the trading floors in the New York City headquarters.
NASA
EXIT signs in the offices and maintenance buildings on the NASA Edwards, California aerospace base.
U.S. Air Force and SAC
Signage installed in airplane hangars, offices and living quarters on bases in Alaska, Missouri, Florida and Washington State.
Commuter Rail Line
Custom DuraGlow® pathway markers counter-sunk in outdoor concrete platforms in Los Angeles, California.
Offshore Drilling Platform
Hundreds of custom DuraGlow® signs exposed to the harsh outdoor environment in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil.
An Emerging Market
The photoluminescent glow-in-the-dark safety products industry has emerged as a dynamic force in the wake of the devastating September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City and Washington, DC followed by the deadly train and bus bombings in Madrid and London in March, 2004 and July, 2005 respectively. These and subsequent tragic events have dramatically demonstrated the inadequacy of failure-prone electrically-powered emergency evacuation systems.
Fail-safe non-electric photoluminescent evacuation marking and pathway guidance products which glow brightly in the dark and function flawlessly in darkness have materialized as preferred alternatives to conventional evacuation guidance technology. Today’s vaulting concern with homeland security has precipitated the adoption of new international building codes which mandate installation of photoluminescent pathway guidance systems in egress corridors and stairways of high occupancy buildings and structures.
Ultimately, the paramount goal of a photoluminescent egress pathway marking system is to move fleeing occupants swiftly from danger to safety in an orderly manner. Providing a clearly visible path of egress during a time of peril and confusion is vital to avoiding panic and preventing casualties.
SUMA Industries, Inc. remains dedicated to providing innovative fail-safe non-electric, cost-effective, environmentally friendly photoluminescent way-finding systems that clearly illuminate the path of egress for fleeing occupants during a fire, blackout or other emergency.