Case Studies
C.E.M Days Motor Dealership
APC Solutions and C.E.M Days first established its working relationship in late 2006 when APC installed a wireless network connecting 10 of the C.E.M Days dealership sites. C.E.M Day’s Motor Group provides premier authorised new, used and commercial vehicles for Ford, Peugeot, Fiat and Iveco throughout South and West Wales.
The challenge
APC needed to link 11 dealerships across the south coast of Wales, which covered a distance in excess of 192Km. Each dealership also needed to feature a WiFi hotspot for customers to connect to the internet while waiting for repairs or servicing of their vehicle. The network also needed to adapt and be able to grow in scale as and when new dealerships locations were added to the group.
Our solution
Due to the excessive distances between dealerships, varied terrain and non line of site, APC required a solution which would combat these elements but still deliver fast, consistent, high bandwidth connectivity. Using the Motorola PTP 600 in 5.4Ghz and 5.8Ghz frequencies, APC delivered in excess of 100Mbs bandwidth across the network, providing on average 50Mbs to each dealership.
Chris Lynch, APC Group Sales Director, comments: “When installing a network over such vast distances we needed to ensure the design and planning of the network was 100% accurate even prior to any site surveys taking place. Our team of highly skilled wireless architects run many desktop models, which then our experienced RF engineers tested, it was this excellent workmanship, which provided a high availability, reliable and flexible network for C.E.M Days Group.
The result
APC ensured each dealership received in excess of 50Mbs fast, reliable and consistent bandwidth. Customers could access the internet while at the showrooms across the network ensuring the very best in customer comfort while waiting for their vehicle repairs.
The backhaul network also provided the platform for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) communications between dealerships, reducing both telephone line rental and internal call costs at each site, plus allowing all calls to be routed and managed via a Single PBX telephone system.
Speaking about the network, Neil Williams, Group IT Manager, comments: “APC has ensured C.E.M Days can deliver the highest level of customer service to its customers across the dealership network because it offers a consistent and adaptable network. Our staff can now connect easily throughout our dealership network, ensuring customer data can be transferred at a click of a button. The network has also offered an excellent TOC (total cost of ownership), and delivered an ROI (return on investment) in just a few years, compared with alternative cabled solutions from other providers. The wireless network APC has built and developed for us over the years has saved us in excess of £700k since being installed back in 2007.”