Swindon parking company takes a bite out of the Big Apple

By Amanda Wilkins - 10 November 2023

Business

A Swindon parking firm is hoping to expand into neighbouring cities and states, after opening premises in Pennsylvania and welcoming new personnel.

The Metric Group designs, manufactures and services parking hardware, software and infrastructure boasting a global customer base.

With an established presence in the US, for the past decade Amano McGann was the company’s exclusive distributor. 

Now taking back full control of its Stateside operations, Metric Group’s new premises are a well-positioned base from which the team can effectively service its 80-plus customers. With 630 parking meters currently in operation across states as far east as New York, Georgia to the south and more centrally in Ohio, it also has contracts in Maryland, Washington, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Victor Abrams, a well-known face on the parking scene and former Metric Group employee, has rejoined the company as technical lead.  Victor, from Pennsylvania, provides expert training on how to effectively utilise and service the parking meters. He previously worked as a landscaper, before he ‘fell into’ the parking industry more than 15 years ago. Victor took a seasonal role with Metric Group to supplement his income during the winter months and stayed with the company for five years.

Now relishing the hands-on position and keen to share with his customers the latest innovations proving popular in Europe, Victor said: “It’s great to be back with the Metric Group and see the company investing in its future here in the USA. We work with really interesting people and organisations at some of the nation’s most iconic sites. I’m really looking forward to working more closely with them all to see where we can add value with new technology and improved features.

“My focus is building relations with current customers and networking – becoming more involved with the communities we serve and ensuring they get better bang for their buck from their investments. I will make sure our terminals and meters are used to their full potential.”

Victor recently attended the New York State Parking and Transportation Association’s (NYSPTA) annual conference and trade show alongside Metric’s head of international sales, Graham Darling. The two-day event was held at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY and gave Metric the opportunity to present its popular Micro and Sprite touchscreen smart payment terminals.

Graham has overseen Metric’s US operations for over five years. He added: “This is an important milestone in Metric Group’s history, and we hope our investment in new premises and personnel will signal to our clients here just how important they are.

“We have a tech legacy spanning over 140 years, and we work with customers across the globe, so we have unrivalled intel on what makes the best user experience. All those learnings inform how we design and build our physical machines and the backend software used to programme them – and with such varied needs and requirements from state to state, we can provide parking and infrastructure solutions for local decision-makers that’s as bespoke to them as their state is unique.”

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