Operating a managed, busy parking lot can pose significant challenges, especially to a government organization that also owns some of the vehicles in the lot. The parking area has to be secure, with barrier-enforced entrances and exits. It also has to have an automated, efficient monitoring system that allows for accurate vehicle tracking as well as easy in-and-out access for drivers.

The Municipality of Pendik in Istanbul, Turkey, operates a highly trafficked parking area for its municipality-owned fleet of 1,000 vehicles. The lot has four gates, far away from each other. The cars move in and out of the lot four or five times each day. The municipality did not want to hire four parking lot attendants, yet funneling all the traffic through a single, congested gate was not an option.

Since some of the gates are dangerously close to a motorway, municipality officials did not want to distract its drivers by having them press buttons to open the barriers. They wanted a completely automated solution that would give the drivers better ease of use with an easy in and out.

To solve their problem, the municipality turned to STS Technology, an RFID solutions provider based in Turkey. STS has deployed Alien Technology products, including RFID EPC-complaint solutions, throughout the country. STS provides RFID solutions and services to customers in various industries, including retail, textile, manufacturing, transportation and logistics.

The System Specs

STS recommended RFID solutions from Alien Technology and developed a complete RFID vehicle tracking solution for the municipality’s parking lot and fleet of vehicles. Each gate has exit and entrance doors equipped with Alien readers and circular antennas.

Each vehicle now has an Alien M tag, which is displayed inside the windshield. The M tag is a high performance tag that is ideal for plastic surfaces. The tags are encapsulated in a sticker that has the logo of the Pendik municipality.

“We are very happy with the Alien products,” says Levent Yalcinkaya, STS Technology technopark director. “The reader has many options, and we can change the behavior of the reader by simply changing some parameters. It fits almost all cases of the project.”

STS also built software based on Alien’s API, so the municipality administrators can record the vehicle movements.

“The system records about 4,000 transactions to the database each day,” explained Yalcinkaya. On some gates, one reader is deployed for the entrance and exit. On other gates, two separate readers are used, for a total of six readers to monitor the lot traffic. Each reader can detect the vehicle tags from approximately five to six meters, added Yalcinkaya.

The Solution

This RFID solution for the municipality was able to overcome the challenges of monitoring the fleet. “The municipality before would have to open the barriers with the help of security people or by the driver’s action button. And the administrators were recording the vehicle movements manually,” said systems integrator Yalcinkaya. “With RFID, we collect the data automatically and without human action. The municipality gets reports from its IT system, and it can easily track the employee’s vehicles and parking lot status,” he explained. And the drivers are not busy opening the gates – they are simply driving their vehicles.

Yalcinkaya added that the key to the project’s success was the ongoing testing that STS did first in lab conditions and then on-site. “It’s very important to test hardware and software with the real conditions,” he said. STS also creates extensive documentation during each deployment. “We write down whatever we do on the project. That information becomes very valuable as we deploy the RFID and start work on future implementations.”

STS predicts that the Turkish market will continue to embrace RFID for tracking solutions, and it will change the way businesses operate. “Collecting data with RFID and without human intervention will change many business sectors,” said Yalcinkaya. “Classic methods of parking and vehicle tracking operations will be history in the near future.” Future Projects

Alien is the first RFID supplier to come to Turkey, and the Pendik Municipality project is the first RFID project announced in the country, according to STS. The Pendik Municipality officials are also pleased with the success of the RFID deployment.

“We believe the RFID reader/tag solution from Alien to be superior to other solutions we tested,” said Omer Elci, transportation manager for the Pendik Municipality. “We were impressed with the ability of STS to provide the RFID hardware and software integration solution to suit our needs,” Elci added.

As a second phase of the project, Pendik is working with STS to set up a system that will track the vehicles and their respective drivers at fuel stations owned by the municipality.

Security Cameras Now Protect Australia’s Ports

Patrick is Australia’s largest operator of shipping and container terminals. Its focus on productivity, efficiency and innovation, along with its world-class assets and infrastructure management expertise, places the Patrick businesses at the forefront of the ship-to-shore and shore-to-door service providers for both domestic and international trade markets.

Patrick has chosen Pixim Inc. and One Security Int’l. Pty Ltd., for the installation of an all-digital powered video security system in six Australian ports.

Patrick is converting its analog CCD-based video camera system to an all-digital security and management system. With a fully updated security system slated for six maritime facilities consisting of four terminals and two stevedores, Patrick will have more than 500 cameras in place. These maritime sites will incorporate box and dome camera formats, placed inside Patrick’s buildings and lobbies, as well as outdoors, to protect the perimeters and acreage.

$58 Million Investment Made for Manufacturing Plant in China

Many companies are globalizing their business by building additional company facilities in China. The Bosch Group has done just that by investing $58 million in a new security systems manufacturing facility in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. Covering more than 147,000 square feet, it is the largest manufacturing plant for Bosch Security Systems, Inc. and will provide employment for 1,500 associates.

In addition to supplying products and systems for China, the plant will also support the Asia Pacific region and the world market.

“The new manufacturing facility in Zhuhai enables Bosch to increasingly localize manufacturing activities for the Security Systems division in China. Security Systems will provide more competitive products and services through this new facility,” said Dr. Rudolf Colm, member of the Board of Management responsible for the Asia Pacific region. “The plant also offers us the opportunity to continue our growth in China and abroad with competitive and innovative technologies that better meet the needs of our customers.”

The facility will manufacture intrusion, fire, video, communication, conference and public address systems as well as access control and management systems. It is equipped with advanced surface mount assembly lines, an in-line optical inspection system, electronic in-circuit testers and functional testers.

More than 50 associates at the Zhuhai facility will be engaged in research and development activities, reinforcing the company’s global commitment to R&D.

“Our security systems protect society and make people’s lives safer. We put great effort in research and development, manufacturing, quality assurance and sales service to provide our customers with safe and reliable products,” said George Behlke, vice president of operations for Bosch Security Systems in Zhuhai. “We endeavor to contribute to the success of Bosch Security Systems in the global security market.”