Access

Kassel's Kurfürsten Gallery (D)

Wanzl and Nexobility digitise the shopping centre’s parking and payment system

Previous reviews of the Kurfürsten Galerie car park in the centre of Kassel have included 'stuck in the car park', 'magnetic strip of the parking card defective' and 'long queue to get out'. Today, things look completely different in the shopping centre’s multi-storey car park: Since the beginning of 2024, parking has been managed by a new system from partners Wanzl Access Solutions, a specialist in fully automated access and ticketing systems, and Nexobility, one of the leading international providers of barrier-free parking with number plate recognition. In a joint collaboration, Wanzl's individually configurable V21 payment terminals and Nexobility's BetterPark digital parking solution have been used to develop a comprehensive offer to improve parking space management at the Kurfürsten Galerie

Barrier-free parking and cashless payment

Nexobility's barrier-free BetterPark system is already available at more than 400 locations. Customers include retailers as well as hotels, gyms, banks, hospitals and airports. What’s special about BetterPark: the system automatically detects which vehicle has been parked in the car park and for how long. This opens up new possibilities for car park control, management or analysis. "Barriers, tickets and on-site staff are not necessary because cameras at the entrances check every vehicle number plate and determine the parking time and authorisation in compliance with data protection regulations," explains Sebastian Löffler, Managing Director of Nexobility. Bilal Chaouch, Senior Account Manager at Wanzl, adds: "After shopping, the parking fees incurred can be paid quickly and easily at the Wanzl V21 payment terminals, which are located on both floors of the Kurfürsten Galerie and are easily identifiable thanks to their red, green and yellow LED lighting." At the interactive terminals, you simply enter the vehicle registration number and pay the displayed amount without cash – by debit or credit card, DKV fuel card, smartphone and via partner apps. From 2024, users of the three-storey Kurfürsten Galerie car park will be able to drive in and out without restriction. Barrier and parking ticket machine failures, lack of card payment options or illegible tickets are now a thing of the past.

Barrier-free parking and cashless payment

New security concept for multi-storey car park "Together with Wanzl, we are constantly working on making the shopping experience even more relaxed. As part of our security concept, we rely entirely on cashless payment," says Sebastian Löffler and Bilal Chaouch continues: "Our V21 payment terminal is individually configurable and easy to use thanks to its interactive menu navigation. In both digital and analogue terms, it meets the highest security standards." A concealed locking mechanism protects against vandalism and the integrated ETISS ERP® software enables professional and secure management of all transactions.

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Flexible parking and payment system

The product combination of innovative payment terminals from Wanzl and the barrier-free parking system from Nexobility won the contract for the Kurfürsten Galerie car park against more than ten competitors. The decisive factor was the flexibility of the parking and payment concept, which can integrate all desired payment service providers via an open interface – from parking apps established in Kassel to city apps and the city's website. Members of the gym in the Kurfürsten Galerie can also activate two hours of free parking via the payment terminal. Thanks to Wanzl's modern ETISS ERP® software platform, such customer-specific IT solutions can be easily implemented via standardised interfaces and networked with the BetterPark application.

Leasing of free parking spaces to long-term users

Another example is the leasing of around 100 of the 580 parking spaces in the Kurfürsten Galerie to long-term users. There is a shortage of parking spaces in Kassel city centre, but retail car parks are usually closed at night after opening hours. With the help of the parking space management solution from Wanzl and Nexobility, the actual parking space utilisation can be determined. As a result, verifiably free parking spaces can be automatically leased to third-party users, such as residents, without negatively affecting operations. The system is fully flexible. RFID, barcode and QR readers, for instance, are available at Wanzl terminals for approving parking authorisations.

Autonomous 24/7 parking garage operation

Thanks to the parking management system from Wanzl and Nexobility, the barrier-free Kurfürsten Galerie multi-storey car park is open around the clock and operates autonomously without staff. In the event of a malfunction, the BetterPark system and the Wanzl terminals can be serviced remotely via remote access. Measures are also in place to combat incorrect parking. Vehicle owners who leave the car park without paying have 24 hours to pay the associated parking fees on the BetterPark website. Anyone who fails to do so will receive a request for payment by post. "The new, successfully implemented parking system in the Kurfürsten Galerie shows," says Sebastian Löffler, "how the cooperation between Wanzl and Nexobility contributes to making cities more efficient, technologically advanced and more liveable through digitalisation." Bilal Chaouch explains: "Owners of car parks, multi-storey car parks and underground car parks are provided with a highly economical parking and payment concept that can be easily integrated into existing structures and connected to the respective business – be it retail, gym, hotel or airport."

Autonomous 24/7 parking garage operation