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Security expert Siemens has been named ‘Best Innovator’ in the prestigious AOA (Airport Operators Association) Awards 2009 – the centrepiece of the annual AOA conference – for its innovative ‘Car Finder’ solution at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 car park.

Commenting that the company showed “particular excellence and dedication in their field”, the judging panel (comprising AOA board members and decided on a democratic basis) also highlighted Siemens as having the ‘Best Exhibition Stand’ at the pre-eminent event for the British airports industry.

There are nearly 4,000 spaces at Heathrow Terminal 5’s short-stay, multi-storey car park and the terminal is scheduled to handle 27 million passengers a year. Passengers using the car park often forget where they have parked their car, which not only causes distress to the passengers but also tarnishes their experience of flying from / to Heathrow. It also means they do not exit the car park as quickly as possible so the car park does not operate to maximum efficiency. Heathrow Airport called on the Security Solutions team from Siemens to develop a safe, efficient and user-friendly car park at Terminal 5 to enhance its customer offering.

The innovative Car Finder solution developed for Heathrow Terminal 5 enables airport visitors to find their vehicle by simply inserting their parking ticket into a machine with a screen featuring a 3D interactive map which shows its location. Car Finder also helps passengers find an available parking space when they enter the car park.

The system integrates infrared CCTV, digital recording, advanced automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology, bay monitoring, barrier control and customer information kiosks, all controlled from the Short Stay Car Park 5 control centre. Car Finder also uses ANPR technology to record the registration of a car as it arrives at the car park barrier and automatically prints the car registration on the ticket.

Dave Pickles, Managing Director Security Solutions at Siemens, commented: “Siemens has been known for its innovative qualities since it was founded in the UK and I am delighted that the company has once again been recognised for continuous improvement and advancement.”

He continued: “This is a fantastic accolade for our team and also for our client Heathrow Airport who had the foresight to realise that a common problem could be easily solved with innovation and expertise.”

Siemens’ success was celebrated at a black tie event at the Hilton Metropole London. The ceremony was attended by over 200 senior level executives from across the industry and related businesses.

For further information, please contact the security solutions team at Siemens on 01932 898500, or visit www.siemens.co.uk/securitysolutions