ANPR system : a modern management of company car parks?

Company car parks are often the scene of a complex organisation : authorising access for employees, managing visitors, ensuring the security of the premises, while optimising the space available. Faced with these challenges, it’s legitimate to ask: is there a solution that combines efficiency, modernity and simplicity?

Today’s modern technologies offer innovative answers. Among them, the ANPR system, based on automatic number plate recognition, is revolutionising the company car parks management. Find out more in this article.

ANPR system : definition & operation.

The ANPR system (an acronym for « Automatic Number Plate Reading ») is quite simply a technology that is transforming the company car parks management by automating vehicle identification.

It is based on intelligent cameras placed at car park entrances and exits, capable of detecting and analyzing, in real-time, the number plates of vehicles entering and leaving a given area.

Thanks to these systems, you don’t need a badge or ticket to control access to the car park. All your employees have to do is go up to the barrier, which will open if they are authorized to enter.

But how does it work in practice? This technology uses optical character recognition (OCR) to read vehicle registration numbers. The number plates recognized are then cross-referenced with a database, enabling access to the company’s car park to be validated or denied.

It should be noted that the ANPR system integrates very easily with a parking management application such as Sharvy. The data captured by the OCR is automatically synchronized with the reservations made on the Sharvy application. This is why our customers regularly opt for this type of access control, such as Subsea 7  & Up Coop.

The advantages of the ANPR system for access to company car parks.

1. Simplified access management.

Let’s start with one of the ANPR system’s major advantages: the complete automation of access control to your car park.

In many companies, RFID readers and badges are (still) de rigueur. In the long term, however, this is a time-consuming and tedious task (dealing with lost badges, opening barriers if a badge is forgotten, recovering and anonymising badges after an employee has left, etc.).

On the other hand, thanks to the ANPR system, every vehicle entering and leaving your car park is instantly identified, and its authorization is checked in real-time. No more forgotten badges or long waits for the barrier to open.

As a result, queues at the entrances become a distant memory, even at peak times! This time-saving benefits everyone: your staff and visitors get to the car park more quickly, and traffic around the site is calmed.

2. Greater security.

Thanks to its instant identification, the ANPR system immediately detects unauthorized vehicles, limiting the risk of intrusion and potentially problematic situations.

This precise control ensures that only authorized users gain access to your company car park, offering peace of mind to your employees and managers alike.

What’s more, the ANPR system keeps a detailed record of each visit, enabling you to keep a close eye on who’s coming and going. This traceability provides increased visibility of vehicle flows, which can prove invaluable in the event of an incident, but also for analysing car park use.

The ANPR system guarantees proactive management of your company car park.

3. Optimised costs & management of your company car park.

Finally, the ANPR system also stands out for its ability to optimize costs while simplifying operations. Thanks to the automation of access controls, the need to mobilize staff to monitor entrances and exits is considerably reduced.

This reduction in allocated human resources not only saves money (on average €12.65 per hour) but also allows teams to refocus on higher value-added tasks.

What’s more, automation also limits human error, whether it’s an oversight, a misinterpretation or a simple misunderstanding.

The result is a smoother, more seamless operation that guarantees reliable, cost-effective car park management.

The combination of the ANPR system & the Sharvy solution : the must-have for multi-site companies?

Thanks to the ANPR system, each vehicle is identified as soon as it enters the site thanks to its number plate. By combining this technology with the Sharvy car park management solution, your company can manage its various car parks remotely from a single interface.

Whether you’re at head office or at a regional subsidiary, everything is managed centrally, with a real-time overview of your multi-site car parks.

Your employees benefit from a simplified experience :

• • Universal access: A single registered plate is all you need to access all the company’s car parks, regardless of their location.

• • Optimised reservations: Your employees can reserve a parking space in advance via the Sharvy app, and the system ensures that they are allocated a space when they arrive.

• • Dynamic reallocation: If an employee vacates a space, it is automatically reallocated to another user, optimising the available space.

For your site managers, the benefits are just as numerous:

• • Overall monitoring of usage: The data collected by the Sharvy application gives you a clear picture of car park usage at your various sites, so you can adjust parking policies as required.

• • Reduced costs & administrative stress: Your managers no longer need to manually manage badges & allocate specific resources to each site, everything is done in just a few clicks on the application.

• • Adapt to local priorities: Some car parks can be configured to meet specific needs, such as reserving spaces for VIP visitors & electric vehicles.

If you have several car parks to manage, combining these two technologies is one of the best solutions for harmonising & simplifying your car park access control.

In this way, you create a seamless user experience, while maximising the use of your resources, all without any extra effort.

The challenges and limitations of the ANPR system : what you need to know!

Like any technology, the ANPR system is not without its limitations. You need to be aware of this.

• • Technical problems : Cameras can sometimes run into difficulties, particularly with damaged number plates, which can lead to misidentification.

• • Personal data management : Collecting information on number plates raises legitimate questions about confidentiality and security. Fortunately, RGPD-compliant solutions, such as data encryption & temporary storage, are in place to ensure compliant use.

• • Initial cost : Installing an ANPR system can represent a significant initial investment. However, this cost is often offset by gains in efficiency, security & user satisfaction, offering a measurable return on investment in the medium term.

Key facts : comparing the ANPR system with other access control solutions.

1. Name badges.

• • Reliability : Solution commonly used and well mastered by companies.
  • Moderate initial cost : Less expensive to install than an ANPR system.
  • Cumbersome management : Loss of badges, reprogramming and replacement costs.
  • Less fluid : Users have to scan their badge each time they enter or leave.

2. Tickets.

• • Simplicity for visitors : Ideal for company car parks open to the public.
  • Low initial cost : Inexpensive installation.
  • Polluting : Dependence on paper tickets, costs & environmental impact.
  • Risk of loss : Tickets can easily be mislaid, complicating exits.

3. Human presence.

• • Flexibility : An agent can deal directly with complex situations.
  • User-friendly : Ideal for environments requiring human interaction.
  • High operational cost : Requires dedicated staff, with ongoing costs.
  • Less fast & scalable : Ineffective for large flows & high-capacity car parks.

4. Cameras equipped with the ANPR system.

• • Total automation : No human intervention & no physical support.
  • Speed : Smooth access, no need to stop to present a badge or collect a ticket.
  • Enhanced security : traceability of entries & exits in real time.
  • Durability : No consumables (tickets) or wear and tear (no physical media).
  • High initial investment : higher installation cost, but quickly offset by minimal maintenance and optimization of resources.

In conclusion

The ANPR system is not just an alternative to traditional access control solutions, it represents a genuine revolution in car park management. With its ability to automate processes, deliver a frictionless experience, and optimise space utilisation, it meets modern challenges while reducing environmental impact & long-term costs.

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