For a small business, Onelan certainly packs a big punch. It may only employ 20 staff, but its annual turnover now stands at an impressive £2.5m on the back of sales which have doubled every year for the last four years.

Success, as in with so many businesses, has come with the aid of technology which has been developed just at the right time.

Onelan, based in Henley, specialises in ‘digital signage solutions’ — roughly translated as screens which you may see in airports, shops hotel foyers and offices, displaying a variety of static or changing advertising messages or information.

At the heart of this technology lies the company’s Net To Box (NTB), a hub which can be used to broadcast live TV, video or other multi-media content to a screen, or a number of screens placed at strategic points where they will deliver the maximum impact.

Spokesman Marion Bourne said: “One of our strrongholds is actually in the education sector. We have a lot of installations in schools and universities.”

These can be used to provide important messages to staff and pupils, from the routine, such as maintenance and classroom changes, to news about pupils’ achievements.

The screens can also be interactive and change by responding to touch, giving a much greater degree of interaction than conventional media.

Ms Bourne added: “Putting a lot more information on a particular screen makes communication more efficient.

“In hotels, messages to residents can be relayed and in places such as airports and stations, different advertising can be relayed to different audiences — for example, commuters at 5.30pm and general travellers at other times.”

Onelan was set up 1988 as a telecommunications specialist developing local area network (LAN) technology for commercial and military customers.

In 2001 the company moved into the development of multimedia hardware and software that has developed rapidly to the widely recognised format seen today.

Corporate clients include global players such as Vodafone while considerable inroads are being made into developing markets including China as well as Europe and the United States.

Ms Bourne admits there is a lot of competition in the field but what sets Onelan apart is that it is not a solution in a box but rather an application that can be tailored to the needs of the user. It also requires little training to use, which is a major bonus.

As a result, it was not surprising that Onelan walked away with the Small Business category at the 2008 Oxfordshire Business Awards and Ms Bourne is convinced that success has had a significant impact on the business.

She said: “As well as the publicity, it gives us real credibility in the marketplace and winning the award has raised awareness nationally.

“We put the logo on our website and on the bottom of our e-mails. We are a small company so it makes a big difference to us.”

As for the future, Onelan appears to be thriving in the recession.

Ms Bourne said: “There has been no dip in orders — in fact we are heading for a record month.”

Name: Onelan Established: 1988 Managing director: David Dalzell Number of staff: 20 Annual turnover: 2.5m Contact: 01491 411400 Web: www.onelandigitalsignage.com