Westfalia

Sustainability is the strength of the Danes
Cars disappear into underground automated parking garage / Westfalia’s parking systems inspire citizens

Press Release - CAR PARK AUTOMATION

BORGHOLZHAUSEN/ COPENHAGEN, February 2011 – The visitors push themselves against the windows, trying to look inside the glass box and look puzzled: their cars actually sink in the ground. “Our technology has a lasting impression on the Danes”, says Westfalia project manager Mathias Spötter. Similarly pleased is Copenhagen’s Mayor Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard: “Our parking strategy works well. The first garage Nørre Allé is busy every evening and Leifsgade is highly frequented, too. In recent weeks only the 50 test occupants made use of the Leifsgade car park. Now it is open to all citizens”, emphasizes the head of the Copenhagen administration.  In about four weeks the third car park from Westfalia will open in the Danish capital.

“Leifsgade simply is a visual highlight. The City of Copenhagen has done a fantastic job”, commends Mathias Spötter. A playground with an adjacent basketball field is surrounded by four boxes whose entry cabins turn out to be a car magnet. Except for the vehicles, which stop regularly in the portals, this gives hardly the impression that this is the gateway to Europe's largest automated parking garage. Rather it is the welcoming atmosphere of the venue which attracts the attention. “The city of Copenhagen decided to create a green oasis in the metropolis. The combination of technical finesse and sustainability was at the forefront of our planning”, describes Westfalia Managing Director Andreas Gartemann. Approximately 200 people had a look at the unique technology during the two hour opening ceremony and used the opportunity to ask their burning questions to the leaders of the community – Project Manager Allan Christensen and Mayor Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard – as well as park their cars directly on one of the 408 seats.

The rush into fully automatic car parks in Copenhagen
The annoying waiting on the ramp, the tiresome search for a car park and the concern about possible damages to a beloved vehicle are a thing of the past for the citizens of Copenhagen. Instead, the era of easy, safe and environmentally conscious car parking starts in the Danish capital. “The handling of the system is really easy. The car is just parked in the entry cabin, the customer alights from the vehicle to a terminal and pays with the credit card or chip card, and immediately the fully automatic parking process starts. There is much emphasis on safety”, summarizes expert Mathias Spötter. Before the vertical conveyor carries the possession of Copenhagen’s citizens into the depth – the car is measured accurately with sensors. “We have three height options and have chosen a maximum length of 5.25 meters. Hence all vehicles from small cars to large SUVs find a place in our parking garage”, reports Spötter.

In this automated process, the software is of particular importance. “A computer is looking for a suitable parking space and the safety sensor checks if anyone is in the entry cabin. Only if driver and passenger have left the entry cabin does the pallet takes a car to a free space”, explained the experienced technician. The same counts for the reverse cycle. “We assure that every customer receives his car in less than four minutes after he requested it”, promises Spötter.

Logistics professional has more to offer
The company relies on tried and tested methods. “The fact that we come from the logistics industry proves that we have the competence to realize fully automated parking garages”, sums CEO Andreas Gartemann. The technology is similar to what is used for pallets in warehouses with a vertical conveyor, a cross-trolley and of course the established software, Savanna.NET®. In this regard, the car which is to be stored, turns out to be a highly sensitive subject matter, but the specialists from Borgholzhausen absolutely know how to handle it. "We never offer common solutions. No inventory is like the other and thus we adjust our park systems and technologies at each of the new conditions”, says Gartemann.

About Westfalia
Westfalia is an expert in supply chain automation and car park automation. The company designs, manufactures and installs automatic storage, conveyor and order-picking systems (e.g., high-bay warehouses) as well as automated car parking systems (Westfalia CAR-SAFE®). Automation of the entire supply chain includes the control and IT connection of systems to logistics software such as the company’s own Savanna.NET®. Westfalia also links in-house and transport logistics (e.g., by means of automatic loading and unloading systems for lorries). The maintenance, modernization and extension of systems ensure continuous operation and long-term customer partnerships. In its 40-year history, Westfalia has automated more than 675 logistics systems worldwide. The European headquarters of the company is located in Borgholzhausen, Germany, between Bielefeld and Osnabrück and not far from Hannover.

Westfalia im Internet
www.westfaliaeurope.com
www.savanna.com
www.westfaliacarpark.com 
www.westfaliausa.com  

Westfalia Logistics Solutions Europe GmbH & Co. KG
Corporate Communication – Stephanie Linz
E-Mail s.linz[at]WestfaliaEurope.com – Tel. +49(0)5425-808-907 – 33829 Borgholzhausen – Germany