17.10.2011

Sixt Car Rental - logident, RDL 150, RDL 160

RFID helps you to get your hire car quickly

Sixt GmbH & Co. KG have approximately 45,000 vehicles and are the biggest car rental company in Germany. The high demand for cars and the fast availability of the car keys required a major logistical effort and led to longer waiting times at the car rental counters. It is very important because the service was with Sixt, the main objective, a custom solution for the allocation and redemption to create the Sixt car key. This should improve service and customer satisfaction safe place.  deister electronic and the B & M Auto-ID systems GmbH have developed specifically for the key output a "counter-solution." This ensures the maximum processing speed and simplicity and avoids double entries.

Key management with RFID
At all major airports in Germany, Sixt has established so called "key-racks". 20 car keys are stored at the counter and are provided with an RFID transponder. The transponders are monitored by a stationary RDL 150 read/write from deister. The data read by this reader is forwarded directly to the Sixt IT-system, providing a perfect overview of the vehicle fleet. Once a key is removed from the "rack", the system automatically locks the vehicle until the is key returned to Sixt and the IT system has logged the key. Double bookings and overlaps are impossible. If the vehicle is picked up by the customer, the RFID-System reports the pick-up time to the Sixt IT-system. This is the beginning of the lease. It ends with the automated detection of the return process.

For the return of the keys B & M Auto-ID systems has developed a "safe" solution. They have installed letter boxes in front of the car rental branches for returning keys. So the car key is in a safe when returned. Inside the safe, the deister electronic RDL 160 RFID reader is installed, so the object and time are immediately recorded and sent to the Sixt IT system. There is a smooth data transfer via ethernet between the return stations and the Sixt IT system. On site of large customers, or in places that Sixt has no network access, "e-Return pillars" are installed, which transmit the data wirelessly to the Sixt system via GPRS. The design of these columns corresponds to the Sixt return corporate design, and is also equipped with an RFID reader RDL 160, which transmits all data read from a PDA to the host system of Sixt in Pullach via GPRS communication interface. The adjustment to the existing IT-system from Sixt went smoothly. Process restructuring was only necessary to a small extent.

Perfect Service - satisfied customers
The key issue in larger stores was significantly accelerated by the rapid availability of car keys. While the loan is no longer referred to one and the same vehicle, double bookings are avoided. The rental process was therefore more convenient, faster and more transparent for the customers.