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Metric’s Healthy Start to New Year
Published: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:43:00 GMT
Metric Parking has seen 2012 get off to a healthy start.
Metric Group Parking Customer Also Buys Coin Counters from Metric
Published: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:56:00 GMT
A train company is the first existing Metric parking customer to purchase its new cash handling equipment.
Metric Aura for Derby City ‘Showpiece’
Published: Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:06:00 GMT
Metric Parking is to install seven of its Aura solar-powered pay-and-display parking machines in a Derby 'showpiece'.
North East Buys from Metric
Published: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:35:00 GMT
Three North East councils have installed a total of 24 Metric Aura mains and solar powered pay and display parking machines.
200 Elites ordered by Nottingham City Council
Published: Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:42:13 +0000
Nottingham City Council in the UK has placed an order for 200 Aura Elite pay and display parking meters manufactured by the Metric Group to replace their existing on and off street equipment. Metric, the UK’s only pay and display parking machine manufacturer, says it won the order against strong European competition.
The first phase of a delivery programme for installation of the 195 solar and five mains Elite’s for on and off street parking in Nottingham will start before the end of the year.
Nottingham’s specification is for the Aura Elite to provide coin, chip and pin and wave and pay options to meet their city centre parking needs, and the machines will have a GPRS connection to a Back Office Web ASLAN system. The company has appointed a dedicated project manager to oversee the installation of the 200 Aura Elite’s which will also have data entry via full QWERTY alpha-numeric keypads
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Hoeft & Wessel successful in Switzerland
Published: Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:44:08 GMT
In the lead with ticketing systems, car park and mobile terminals
Company exhibits latest ticketing solutions at the Suissetraffic Trade Fair in Bern
Hannover / Germany, 23/08/2011. Switzerland is becoming increasingly important for the business activities of the Hoeft & Wessel Group. The IT and engineering technology specialist for ticketing, parking and mobile solutions is one of the leading providers of ticketing systems, car park and mobile terminals in the country. In the last several years, the share of sales revenues accounted for by Switzerland increased to more than 10 per cent. This makes Switzerland the third-largest market for the technology enterprise.
At present, Hoeft & Wessel supplies Almex brand ticket terminals to public transport utilities in Geneva and is developing a new communications solution on a GSM-Rail basis for the Swiss Federal Railways SBB. Numerous car park terminals from the British subsidiary Metric are part of the landscape of Geneva and other cities. The Swiss Post uses a mobile Skeye brand terminal from Hoeft & Wessel for delivery.
At the Swiss specialist trade fair for public transport, the suissetraffic in Bern, Hoeft & Wessel will be displaying the very latest ticketing solutions of its Almex brand from 6 to 9 September 2011. These also include the new compact ticket vending machine with the product name almex.midi which, as a special feature, is also on offer in a solar-powered version.
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http://www.hoeft-wessel.com/en/almex/products/stationary-systems/almexcompact/
Almex UK provides Merseytravel/Liverpool with stationary ticketing system
Published: Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:37:36 GMT
Swindon, UK / Hannover, Germany. 15 April 2011. The Hoeft & Wessel Group has succeeded in winning an order for ticket vending machines (TVM) from Merseytravel, the Passenger Transport Executive for the Liverpool City Region. The public transport operator has opted for the new compact model almex.midi, which will be installed at the ferry stations, Liverpool airport and other transport hubs around the region and the machines will feature as part of Merseyside’s integrated ticketing vision for passengers using the transport network.
The new slimline machines (only 68 cm wide) have been designed with the passenger interface in mind, and include a touch screen, support all modern means of payment including ITSO compliant contactless smart cards. Braille and LED guidance features add convenience and comfort for all public transport passengers. The units will be easily recognised around the city, as they will carry Merseytravel’s unique livery.
One of the key reasons for the choice of the Almex machines was their proven robustness, with many machines already successfully operating in northern Germany and Scandinavia in waterside locations; in Hamburg, Almex machines are operating both at ferry terminals, but also on the ferries themselves. The machines will further complement the investment made in the new state of the art Pier Head terminal.
The almex.midis are equipped to accept the existing national concessionary smartcards and the new regional ITSO smartcard scheme planned for the Merseytravel operating area, where Almex on-bus ticket ITSO compliant electronic ticket machines will also soon be operating.
The Almex brand has been present in the UK for several decades, and this contract further confirms its position as a leader in the supply of ticketing systems for buses and trams and stationary outdoor ticket vending machines, which it has been supplying across the continent for more than two decades.
Liverpool is the cultural and business hub for the Merseyside region, and was recently the European City of Culture. The river Mersey is a broad expanse where it passes through the Beatles’ city of Liverpool and flows into the Irish Sea. So broad, in fact, that the ferries operated by the public transport company Merseytravel cross the river over a 100 times a day to meet the mobility needs of its passengers.
The “Ferry, cross the Mersey” immortalised by Gerry and The Pacemakers’ song cost half a penny back in 1957. Today, a single ticket costs around GBP 1.50 (about EUR 1.80). Soon customers will not be needing cash if they want to cross the river, as the new almex.midis will allow payment by chip and pin, and in the near future, use of the Merseytravel regional smart card scheme. Coin and banknote users have not been forgotten and traditional users will enjoy the enhanced braille and LED supplemented interfaces.
In the UK Almex has supplied thousands of driver operated ticketing systems, almost all of them within ITSO schemes. In Europe, the Almex division is a leading manufacturer of ticketing and telematics systems for public transport and check-in solutions for the airline industry. More recently, Almex has been making mobile GSM-Rail communications systems available for shunting and construction operations.
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METRIC SHOWCASE NEW ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM
Published: Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:45:24 GMT
Metric showcased their new electric vehicle charging system at Traffex 2011.
The system is one of the latest technological developments which Metric has brought to the market.
Metric’s UK Sales and Marketing Manager Richard Boultbee said the charging points could be installed with ‘little fuss’ and allowed the provider to offer every payment option to the electric vehicle motorist.
“The units have the in-built flexibility to offer different connection types for standards across the world,” said Richard.
“The robust and flexible payment terminal allows electric vehicle owners to pay for their power using coins, bank notes and credit or debit cards.
“The charging points can be centrally monitored and will provide the operator with real time information and usage statistics,” he added.
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TRAFFEX 2011 Preview - Cashless Systems
Published: Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:33:08 +0000
Metric will be featuring their innovative cashless technology at Traffex 2011.
Amongst a total of nine pay and display parking machines on their 120 metre squared stand will be an Aura cashless machine as well as the brand new Metric Mobile.
“We are fast becoming a cashless society and we are meeting the needs of the market with a product which is a cashless machine,” said Richard Boultbee, Metric’s UK Sales and Marketing Manager.
“The advent of contactless credit/debit card payments, or ‘wave & pay’ as it is known in some quarters will have an impact on coin and bank note payments over the coming years. The public will decide how they want to pay for parking and we are enabling the parking operator to give them all the cashless options.”
He said the introduction of Metric Mobile to their portfolio of parking products meant that operators now had the biggest-ever choice of parking payment options via Metric systems.
“Metric Mobile is the new way to pay for parking, allowing customers to pay on their mobile phone using a credit or debit card,” said Richard.
“The benefits for the customer are instant. No need for change or dealing with tickets on windscreens. And for the parking operator the benefits include a completely managed online web service,” he added.
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First Metric Mobile Customer Goes Live!
Published: Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:18:32 +0000
Initial response from motorists and businesses to the first installation of the newly launched ‘Metric Mobile’ pay by mobile phone system has been ‘extremely positive’.
North Dorset District Council, based in Blandford Forum, Dorset, is trialling Metric Mobile in nine of its car parks and a further three coach parks across its district.
Not only are motorists said to be keen on the new system of paying for parking, but local businesses have expressed ‘real excitement’ about encouraging shoppers to stay for longer in the town centres as the service allows users to extend parking when they are in the shops.
Richard Boultbee, Metric Parking’s UK Sales and Marketing Manager, said the introduction of Metric Mobile to their portfolio of parking products meant that customers now had the biggest-ever choice of parking options and he was delighted that North Dorset District Council – a loyal Metric customer over many years – were keen to be the first to use the new service.
Said Richard: “Metric Mobile is the latest option to allow the public to pay for their parking, users pay for their time via their mobile phone using a credit or debit card.
“We are delighted that the first installation has been so well received and that the initial feedback has been so very positive because the benefits for the customer are instant.
“The benefits of Metric Mobile are clear. There is no need for change and topping up whilst away from the car park is a nice option. And for the parking operator the benefits include an online web service to audit and track usage.”
North Dorset District Council also ordered Metric Mobile because of its flexibility and the cost savings it will offer them. The Council has car parks where one ticket can be used in as many as three similar ones.
Said Richard: “We replicated this on the Metric Mobile system – something which no other provider was able to do.
“North Dorset also has coach parking which has also been accommodated within the Metric Mobile service so the enforcement officers can differentiate between coach and no coach payments.
“As they offer season tickets and permits, this was the first stage on looking at offering North Dorset with an e-permit solution which we hope will happen in due course.”
Said Cllr Deborah Croney, responsible for Economy at North Dorset District Council: “We are reviewing every aspect of car parking in North Dorset to make sure that customers get the best possible service and that local traders benefit from greater flexibility offered to car park users.
“The Metric Mobile payment service helps in every respect and we are delighted to be leading the way with this trial.”
North Dorset enforcements officers have been trained on the Metric Mobile system and are now armed with leaflets to help promote the service in car parks in Blandford Forum, Sturminster Newton and Shaftesbury – offering motorists short stay to long stay parking options.
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METRIC APPOINTS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTORS IN AUSTRALIA
Published: Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:08:51 +0000
Metric Parking has announced the appointment of the TMA Group as their exclusive distributors in Australia and New Zealand.
Bill Laurie, Metric’s Sales Director, signed up TMA on a recent visit to their Sydney headquarters and both parties are delighted with the tie-up.
For Metric, TMA is their first major distributor in Australia and New Zealand and for the TMA Group they have satisfied a long-standing need to find a partner for the on-street parking market.
“We scoured the world to see who had good meters, a good reputation and were amenable to a partnership for Australia,” said Mosstyn Howell, TMA Sales Director.
“As a result of Bill Laurie’s visit we have now signed an exclusive distributorship agreement for Australia and New Zealand.”
TMA Group, which is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, has a $55 million turnover and employs over 400 people in South East Asia.
The group has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Auckland, Shanghai, Manila and Bangkok.
Mr. Howell was speaking on a visit to Metric’s headquarters in Swindon, Wiltshire, where he and Ron Baxter, General Manager Operations, attended the parking machine manufacturer’s open day on October 27.
TMA has achieved its first two orders for Metric machines – 13 to Sydney University which is likely to be extended to 40 in the next two months and three to Perth Airport.
“The latter order for three solar powered, coin and credit card Auras, is part of a larger access project at Perth Airport and we expect to complete the initial installation at the end of January.”
Ahead of the visit of Mr. Howell and Mr. Baxter, Metric received a visit from two TMA technicians for hardware and software training at their Swindon headquarters.
Both partners are showing their mutual support for each other. Metric’s Richard Staveley, export sales consultant, will be cementing the relationship by supporting TMA’s presence at the Parking Association of Australia’s bi-annual exhibition at the Sydney Exhibition and Convention Centre from November 7-9.
At the exhibition TMA, in partnership with Metric, will be showing three machines and demonstrating the ASLAN Back Office system.
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CHIP AND PIN HELPS PURCHASES OF WEEKLY PARKING TICKETS
Published: Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:14:55 GMT
“To find enough change to buy a weekly ticket for £8 or £9.50 on a Monday morning isn’t easy so our new machines with chip and pin will be a big help,” said Rutland County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transportation, Councillor Mark Wells.
The eight new machines are Metric Auras which are replacing seven Accents now 12 years old. “The daily wear and tear and high use of the Accents is inevitably taking its toll,” said Cllr. Wells.
The new machines in mid Brunswick green have been installed in six car parks in Oakham, Rutland, to make purchasing tickets easier for customers.
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NEW PRODUCTS ARE THEME OF METRIC OPEN DAY
Published: Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:58:55 GMT
Britain’s only manufacturer of pay and display machines is hoping the market place will support its forthcoming open day.
Metric Parking is opening its doors for the third time in six years when it hopes to attract more than 100 people to its Swindon headquarters on October 27.
The theme of the 2010 open day is new products when Metric will be highlighting their new Metric Mobile, Metric Leasing and Metric Plus parking solutions.
There will be demonstrations of their web based ASLAN Back Office System and tours of their unique design and manufacturing facilities.
Said Sales and Marketing Director Bill Laurie: “We are hoping as many existing and potential customers as possible will attend this event and help to support Britain’s only pay and display machine manufacturer.
“We can assure visitors of a very worthwhile day which for many will include the opportunity to see our new products for the first time.”
Anyone wishing to attend should contact Metric Sales Office on 01793 647800 or email sales@metricgroup.co.uk
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IT’S ‘WAVE AND PAY’ IN THE PARK
Published: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:46:05 GMT
Visitors to England’s largest national park will be able to ‘wave and pay’ for their parking this summer.
For the Lake District National Park is the first to order Metric Auras with ‘contactless’ and chip and pin credit/debit card payment facilities.
Seven ‘wave and pay’ Auras will shortly be installed in car parks over a dispersed area in what is 800 square miles of national park containing the highest mountain and deepest lake.
The Lake District National Park, which has a total of 24 Metric pay and display parking machines, is replacing seven with ‘wave and pay’ and chip and pin.
Said Car Parks and Boating Centre Manager David Coxon: “The ‘wave and pay’ option will give a quicker turnaround, make it easier for people to pay and improve customer service for people who want a more flexible way of paying for their parking.
“We understand we have placed the first order with Metric for the contactless and chip and pin credit card Aura.
“A big thing for us is having the ASLAN Web system installed due to the fact that our car parks are dispersed over a massive area. There can be 60 miles between one car park and another so remote monitoring is important to us.”
The installation of the new machines will be completed during May and the ‘wave and pay’ feature is expected to go live within the next few months.
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Hoeft & Wessel successful with ticketing systems in Spain
Published: Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:02:45 GMT
Zaragoza and Murcia opt for e-ticketing system from Hoeft & Wessel and Ikusi
Zaragoza, the fifth largest city in Spain, and Murcia, seventh largest city, have opted for an e-ticketing system from Hoeft & Wessel and Ikusi. The delivery of 50 stationary ticketing vending machines, 22 onboard TVMs and comprehensive back office systems to the local public transport operator TRAZA (Tranvias de Zaragoza) will start at the end of this year. The devices are intended for the new tram line “Línea 1”. The tramway operator TRANVIMUR in Murcia will receive 51 stationary TVMs for the extension of the tram line 1 by the end of this year.
Hoeft & Wessel is a German-based IT and engineering Group. With its Almex brand, it is one of Europe’s largest supplier of ticketing systems. For Spain, Almex has formed a strategic alliance with the Spanish company Ikusi, one of the leading companies in the design, introduction and management of electronic systems e.g. for railways and public transport.
The new TVMs are designed to enable access for all passengers, especially those with restricted mobility. Features for handicapped are a special socket for wheelchair users, Braille, interphone systems, and LED flags. Fully supporting e-ticketing capabilities, the stationary TVMs will be able to dispense electronic tickets in conformity with ISO/IEC 14443 Type A and B (Mifare) as well as RFID ultra-light paper tickets.
In recent years, Spain and Portugal have become 
increasingly important markets for Hoeft & Wessel. Its Almex ticketing systems are now well known in the public transport sector. More than 2,000 buses in Spain and Portugal use the latest generation of Almex ticketing equipment. Onboard units for buses are in use in the Spanish cities of Valencia, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Reus and Tarragona. The stations on the tram system in Vitoria are equipped with almex.station ticket vending machines, which were also delivered in cooperation with Ikusi.
In Northern Portugal, the long-distance coaches of Rodonorte running into Porto and Lisbon are equipped with almex.optima ticket machines for ticket sales and seat reservations. The urban bus operator TUB in the city of Braga has equipped its 120 buses with almex.optima ticket machines. Both operators also accept the Andante contactless Calypso cards from the city of Porto.
The reason for this success is a network of local partners who cooperate and combine their skills based on Almex proven and rugged ticketing solutions.
“The development of ticketing systems in response to local needs, combined with on-the-spot hardware maintenance and software support, has been the key to the success achieved,” commented Almex Export Sales Manager David Hodgkinson.
Hoeft & Wessel will continue to expand its business activities in Southern Europe.
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DSB (Danish State Railways) opts for TVMs from Hoeft & Wessel
Published: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:28:14 GMT
118 almex.station conform to the latest EU TSI standard
Hanover/Germany, 26/08/2010. Following a Europe-wide invitation for tenders, DSB (Danske Statsbaner (Danish State Railways)) has again opted for Hoeft & Wessel’ stationary ticket vending machines (TVM). The Almex business division of the German IT and Engineering Group for ticketing, parking and mobile solutions will be supplying a total of 118 almex.station TVM’s and installing them at railway stations in Denmark. DSB previously bought TVM’s from Hoeft & Wessel in 2004. Together with the new order, a total of around 300 stationary TVM’s will be in operation at DSB.
The TVM’s conform to the latest requirements of the European Union (EU) regarding ease of use especially for persons with restricted mobility. The TSI standard – the technical specification for inter-operability – defines and, therefore, standardises the arrangement of operating functions. The new TVM’s accept payments by coins, bank and credit cards. At some locations it will also be possible to pay with banknotes and to receive change in the form of banknotes
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PARKING MACHINES THAT ARE MAKING HISTORY
Published: Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:17:01 GMT
Four Metric Aura pay and display parking machines are making their own bit of history.
The black machines have been installed along rural roads where traffic parks for one of the UK’s most prestigious and popular tourist attractions.
The four pay and display machines take £4 a day from tourists for parking their vehicles on the roads leading to Snowdon – the highest peak in Wales that ranks amongst the most beautiful in the world.
Snowdon, or in Welsh Yr Wyddfa (the tomb), stands at an altitude of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level and is climbed by thousands of visitors each year.
The machines are proving their worth to a North Wales partnership which chose Metric Parking of Swindon to supply the Aura - and their sales and technical expertise – specially for this outstanding National Park visitor attraction.
Metric has installed a total of nine Auras – including the four unique country roadside machines – in the Snowdonia National Park which is a mecca for tourists from the UK and abroad.
In a scheme called Snowdonia Green Key, Metric was commissioned to supply their latest generation Aura pay and display parking machine to assist the partnership of Snowdonia National Park, the Countryside Council for Wales and Gwynedd and Conwy Councils.
The Metric Aura is collecting £4 a day parking fees (£2 half a day) in car parks and roadsides in the Snowdonia National Park area.
There are four Metric Aura roadside parking machines in Pen-y-Gwryd and the others have been installed in the National Park’s car parks in Nant Peris, Watkin Path and Snowdon Ranger Path.
Two of the machines in Llanberis have been enclosed in metal shelters due to vandalism which the partnership has reported to the police who are investigating.
Apart from the vandalism, a spokesperson for Gwynedd Council said the partnership was pleased with the slimly designed Metric machines painted black to blend in with the landscape of their most spectacular locations.
“To my knowledge these machines are the only ones of their kind to be located in such stunning scenery anywhere in the UK,” said Alan Grimley, Metric Parking’s representative for North Wales.
Alan, who took the order for the nine Auras within the Snowdonia National Park, added: “I was most excited because to me this part of the country is idyllic.”
Gwynedd Council say an integrated transport project in northern Snowdonia, set up to encourage more visitors to park and use the bus, was also working well.
The Snowdon Sherpa bus network provides a half hourly service from Llanberis to Pen-y-Pass starting at 8 in the morning and continuing until 6.40 in the evening. Some of the buses are equipped to carry bikes.
The council spokesperson said the revenue from the parking machines helped to subside the bus network which was one of the longest running rural bus services in Britain that operated all the year round.
For a £1 fare visitors can catch an open top bus up the scenic Llanberis Pass.
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LONDON BOROUGHS ORDER METRIC PARKING MACHINES
Published: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:45:14 GMT
Six London Boroughs have placed orders for pay and
display parking machines with Swindon-based Metric Parking, the UK’s only parking machine manufacturer.
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SELLING IS ABOUT USING YOUR ‘LOAF’
Published: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:21:26 GMT
The UK’s only manufacturer of pay and display machines is using its ‘loaf’ when it comes to selling – into the bakery trade.
Premier Foods – bakers of Hovis – are the latest to purchase a Metric Aura for staff purchases of bread at their Wigan bakery.
It’s the same principle at Warburtons where Metric Accents issue tickets for lower cost factory shop bread.
Two Accents have been installed in the Wednesbury bakery for staff purchases. A number of other Warburton factories, including Enfield, Bristol and Newport, also have Metric machines for issuing tickets.
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Subsidiary Metric and Glory form strategic alliance
Published: Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:27:00 GMT
Metric Group Ltd will take over all maintenance and distribution activities for cash-handling machines in the United Kingdom from the international well-known manufacturer Glory. Metric Group Limited, Swindon/UK, and Glory Europe GmbH, Frankfurt/Germany, have now signed the strategic alliance. Metric will distribute all Glory and Reis products, which include banknote recyclers, counters and sorters, coin recyclers, counters and sorters, and cash deposit kiosks and money change machines. From the headquarters in Swindon Metric, is the branch responsible for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Currently over 700 Glory devices are installed in different enterprises in the financial, retail and vending sectors. To facilitate knowledge transfer, two Glory managers will switch over to Metric to ensure a smooth transition of all business activities.
“With the strategic alliance with Glory, Metric expands its maintenance activities for third party products and demonstrates its high level of competence in the provision of services within the UK. Moreover, Metric has the opportunity to boost turnover with the distribution of Glory products”, said Hansjoachim Oehmen, Metric’s Managing Director and CEO of the Hoeft & Wessel Group.
"Metric is the ideal partner in order to maintain and expand Glory's business in the cash handling solution market in the UK. Metric's strenghts in solutions sales and service combined with Glory's worldwide leadership in solutions for professional cash handlers will ensure profitable growth in the coming years." said Toshiyuki Konishi, President of Glory Europe GmbH.
Glory LTD., headquartered in Himeji, Japan, is a pioneer in the development and manufacture of money-handling machines and systems. Glory provides a variety of products built on its leading-edge recognition/identification and mechatronics technology, such as money-handling machines, cash-management systems, vending machines and automatic service equipment. Committed to meet society’s wide-ranging needs, Glory serves the financial, retail, vending machine, amusement and gaming industries in over 80 countries around the world.
The Hoeft & Wessel Group is the leading IT and engineering technology Group for ticketing, parking and mobile solutions in Germany and Great Britain. Established in 1978 by the two entrepreneurs who gave the company its name and listed on the stock market since 1998, the enterprise has developed into a group of companies with sales revenues of nearly EUR 100 million and a workforce of 500 employees. Its main locations are Hannover, Germany, and Swindon, UK, to the west of London. The British subsidiary Metric Parking is the leading Pay & Display parking machine manufacturer in the UK and one of the largest global providers of car park ticket vending machines, parking space management systems as well as comprehensive services.
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LEEDS GOES ‘ALL METRIC’
Published: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:08:27 GMT
Leeds City Council has gone ‘all Metric’.
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‘MAYDAY’ CALL FOR SOLAR POWER
Published: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:06:32 GMT
It was a ‘Mayday’ call from the London Borough of Croydon to Metric Parking for more solar power.
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