New Smart Card Partnership Reaches Milestone
05 September 2007
The 50,000th smart card sale has been rapidly achieved in a new partnership between Metric Parking and UK-based Universal Smart Cards.
The milestone has been reached in record-breaking time, following the recent decision by Metric to leave their previous American-based supplier in order to speed up the lead times for chips as well as cutting costs.
Every week since the partnership arrangement was formed new clients from across the UK are coming on board, and Universal Smart Cards now holds 100,000 chips on behalf of Metric.
The switch by Metric is seen by Universal Smart Cards as a feather in their cap. Director Michael Smith said: "We are still a relatively small company so therefore we are excited about working with an organisation as large as Metric, which is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of parking machines.
SMART CARD LEAD TIMES CUT IN HALF
"As a UK-based supplier of chips, we have already been able to cut lead times to Metric by half as we can turn-round jobs much faster than was their previous experience. There is also a cost implication which is to the benefit of Metric and their clients.
"I am delighted to announce that the new supply arrangement has got off to a flying start – neither Metric nor ourselves quite expected 50,000 cards to be delivered so soon."
Swindon-based Metric's sales and marketing director, Bill Laurie, said he was equally pleased with the supply arrangement. "Smart card usage has increased dramatically and to meet the growing demand for this method of parking we needed a provider who could turn-round orders faster than we were getting from the States.
"Creating this partnership with Universal means we have considerably reduced lead times, to the benefit of an increasing number of customers, including local authorities."
New clients in the south include Wycombe, Rushmoor and Dartford, whilst in the Midlands Metric and Universal have worked jointly on the Nottingham City Transport project.
