Traka Automotive, the premier provider of key management systems for automotive dealerships, has installed its key management system at Essex Auto Group’s Vehicle Operations Centre (VOC) in Rayleigh, Essex. The new 720 key system at the VOC is networked to the pre-existing 520 key system at Essex Auto Group’s head office at Dunton Ford Link, Basildon.
Traka Automotive has completed installation of a 720 key management system at Essex Auto Group’s (EAG) Vehicle Operations Centre (VOC) located at Hambro Hill, Rayleigh. The site is responsible for holding group stock and undertaking sales preparation work prior to delivery to one of the group’s five multi-franchise retail sites and eventually on to customers. Inevitably this means the centre experiences a high volume of vehicle and key movements in and around the centre and to and from retail locations. The site can hold around 700 vehicles from any of the group’s franchises which include Ford, Volvo, Kia, Mazda and Fiat.
The site is extremely busy with vehicle transporters arriving and departing throughout the day. Using the Traka Automotive software and key cabinets strategically located through the site, car movements are tracked as staff remove and return car keys to the cabinets. Access to the cabinets is controlled by biometric readers which validate the fingerprints of individuals before providing access to keys.
Traka Automotive has networked the two key management systems at the VOC and the Dunton location, so both sites can see key movements and car locations in real-time via Traka Automotive software. Further integration with EAG’s dealer management system (DMS) enables live key and car location information to be viewed by sales staff and technicians from their PCs enabling them to pin- point the exact location of a key and parking location of a vehicle on site
Within the first five weeks of operation, the VOC site processed 2,416 keys through the Traka system and completed 27,574 key removals and returns. Across the whole group, Traka has so far clocked up over a quarter of a million key transactions, proving its reliability as a system and importance to daily operations. EAG is committed to continue implementing the system to its other retail locations throughout 2010.
Paul Smith, Director - Traka Automotive, said:
The VOC is an exceptionally busy site for EAG with many new cars coming into and leaving the site every single day. We are delighted that our system is helping EAG keep keys secure while helping them to manage the complexities of key management and vehicle movements. I have been impressed with the commitment to process improvement demonstrated by EAG – they have shown a keen appreciation of the benefits and financial return new technology can bring to their business.
Mark Reilly, finance director, Essex Auto Group, commented:
Traka's installation at the VOC has worked very well and the system is invaluable in managing the flow of cars to and from our site. Integrating Traka Automotive into our DMS is paying dividends as our staff can instantly look at their DMS screen and find real-time data on a car’s location and status. We are excited by the returns Traka can give us and look forward to continuing the rollout across the group.

Essex Autogroup implemented the Traka key management system covering the workshop (160 keys); new car sales (110); and used car showroom (250). The dealership provides new car sales, new commercial sales, full workshop facilities for passenger cars and commercial vehicles and a dedicated used car building with over 200 cars on display.
The site, which is only a year old, also serves as the primary base for the Essex Auto Group’s senior executives and has offices which are built to the highest specification. It is also the largest site in the group and is based just outside Ford’s operations at Dunton Engineering Centre.
Traka Automotive software and three electronic key cabinets have been deployed strategically around the site. Access to the cabinets is controlled by biometric readers which validate the fingerprints of individuals before providing access to car keys. The system tracks movement of keys between cabinets as vehicles are moved between various parts of the site. The whole system is being integrated with EAG’s proprietary Dealer Management System (DMS).
A 19-day system pilot proved highly successful, generating on average 4,525 transactions (key movements) per week. A total of 79 users have been authorised to use the key management system and the number of unique PCs being used to view and manage the system is up to 43.
Paul Smith, Director - Traka Automotive, said:
I am very pleased with the 100 per cent adoption of the system by sales and after-sales staff. The usage figures suggest enthusiastic acceptance which will increase further now the system has gone live.
Mark Reilly, finance director, Essex Auto Group, commented:
The smooth installation by Traka and rapid take-up by our staff following their user training suggests that we will get very quick return on our investment here. Every five minutes that a salesman can save not hunting for keys but serving customers, creates opportunities for more sales and higher quality servicing.
There are other spin-off benefits – for example we are developing a customer-facing screen showing specific vehicles we have prioritised for sale. By integrating this with Traka's key management system we will be able to show the customer exactly where the promoted vehicle is parked if they want to go and have a look. Effectively the system becomes a virtual sales assistant for us.
At completion of the pilot, following a period of evaluation, we are planning to roll this system out across our six others sites.