Process Optimization in a Car Rental Company

Car rental companies and logistics service providers can better digitalize their processes by using cost-efficient Bluetooth low energy hardware and thus optimize processes such as rental and return of vehicles.


AT A GLANCE

  • recording of dwell times and idle times
  • optimization of the letting process
  • Location determination of vehicles

PROBLEM DEFINITION

If a vehicle is returned by the customer, the return is usually recorded automatically by an RFID chip in the key fob. All subsequent steps are often little or not at all automated.

This results in inefficiencies due to higher administrative costs, longer processing times for preparing the vehicles and a correspondingly less intensive use of the vehicle fleet.

SOLUTION

In the car rental business, the monitoring and optimization of dwell times is of central importance for the organization of all processes. By knowing the exact dwell times and tracking the progress, vehicles can be returned to the rental company more quickly and thus used more efficiently.

The tracking of the vehicles can be done by a tracking system with BLE beacons. A web-based application can be used to make information such as the status of preparation or wash and tank status accessible. It is also possible to see whether the vehicle has been returned to its location and where it is parked.

By integrating this information into the logistics process, the car can be rented out with pinpoint accuracy, thus reducing downtime to a minimum. This leads to a significant reduction of the necessary vehicle fleet while maintaining the same number of rental days.

As a further benefit, the customer who is looking for his rental car in the parking garage can be informed of the exact location at the counter or can be actively navigated to the vehicle via an app. Especially with larger parking garages, the customer can be spared a long search.

TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION

infsoft isometric Process Optimization in a Car Rental Company
3D Infographic: Process Optimization in a Car Rental Company

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Beacons are attached to the windscreens or rearview mirrors of cars. infsoft Locator Beacons are attached to ceilings or walls at regular intervals within the rooms and capture the cars’ data. In addition, there are infsoft Locator Nodes per floor, which are installed in the aisles and connected to the network.

The BLE beacons transmit signals at regular intervals, which are received by the infsoft Locator Beacons. The information is then forwarded from the Locator Beacons to the Locator Node. This Node sends the data to the infsoft LocAware platform® where the data is processed intelligently.

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