VISTA, California, February 27, 2019 – McCain Inc., a leader in the supply of intelligent transportation solutions for safety and mobility and a member of the global SWARCO family, today announced it was chosen by the City of San Jose, CA to update its downtown wayfinding system. Using parking garage data provided by SKIDATA, an international leader in parking access solutions and management, McCain will provide 13 wayfinding signs to minimize congestion by helping the driving public locate available parking.

This smart-city solution for San Jose will be one of the most comprehensive wayfinding systems in the United States, with the capability of directing travelers to more than 6,200 spaces in eight parking garages throughout the metropolitan area. Utilizing SKIDATA parking access revenue control systems (PARCS), customers can also check availability and reserve parking online and from their smartphone.

San Jose currently has a legacy parking system which pushes availability to static signs with LED inserts that display basic alpha-numeric data. Upgrading these signs to McCain’s Variable Message Signs (VMS) opens the door to many new means of communicating with the public. The full-color VMS can display any combination of text, graphics, and images. Best of all, as an established leader in transportation, McCain VMS comply with U.S. traffic communications standards (NTCIP), providing options to integrate parking and variable message signs with traffic and other mobility operations.

“This is an exceptional project that addresses the impact of parking on the community’s roadways,” said Niko Stieldorf, project lead and a driving force behind McCain’s OPTIPARK™ Parking Guidance System. People searching for parking is widely accepted to be a significant factor in urban area congestion. By posting availability on signs throughout the city and directing drivers to available garages, San Jose will minimize that congestion and reduce overall harmful greenhouse gas emissions. “We are excited to help cities deploy these type of smart city solutions and leverage our rich experience in transportation. We plan to pioneer innovative ways to integrate data between parking facilities and traffic management systems to create an enhanced and connected driver experience.”

Like McCain, SKIDATA is committed to improving the travel experience through advanced technology. “We are thrilled to be a part of this comprehensive project,” said Kevin Austin, SKIDATA’s director of business development for Northern California. “Together with SWARCO [McCain’s parent company], we have successfully deployed many similar systems across Europe. Combining that worldwide experience with McCain’s local presence, we are confident that we can deliver an enjoyable and unique parking experience to benefit the entire San Jose community.”

McCain’s Variable Message Signs are powered by SWARCO’s innovative precision-optic technology, developed and proven in Europe and across the globe, and recently certified in the U.S. market. The signs are incredibly energy efficient, requiring less power than it takes to run a personal hairdryer and drawing a tenth of the power of competing signs. Combined with the longest meantime between failures (MTBF), McCain signs have the lowest total cost of ownership, making them an ideal long-term solution for any community concerned with overall cost and efficiency.

“We’re excited to work with the City of San Jose and SKIDATA on this project,” said Greg McKhann, chief operating officer for McCain. “Parking availability is a critical lifestyle issue and part of the big picture of creating comprehensive smart city solutions. McCain views parking as a key area of growth for the company and our executive team is committed to expanding our operations in this space.”

About McCain Inc.
McCain Inc. creates intelligent transportation solutions and traffic control equipment to promote safer, more mobile and livable communities. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the SWARCO Group, the San Diego-based transportation technology firm provides high-quality products and services to optimize signalized intersections, improving safety and quality of life for all road users. McCain’s innovative solutions are paving the way to the future by creating the next generation of smart city solutions and helping to prepare the infrastructure for connected and autonomous vehicles.

For more information, visit www.mccain-inc.com or Twitter @mccain_inc.

About SWARCO
SWARCO is a global transportation technology leader dedicated to making the travel experience safer, quicker, more convenient and environmentally sound. Headquartered in Austria, the SWARCO family celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2019, honoring its expansive portfolio of urban and interurban traffic control, parking, public transport and street lighting. SWARCO’s livable and smart city solutions include cooperative systems, infrastructure-to-vehicle communications, electromobility, and integrated software solutions. With solutions in 70 countries and more than 3,700 team members, SWARCO is leading the effort to shift conventional transportation management into the digital age.

For more information visit www.swarco.com or Twitter @SWARCO_AG.

About SKIDATA
SKIDATA is an international leader in the field of access solutions and their management. Almost 10,000 SKIDATA installations worldwide in ski resorts, stadiums, airports, shopping malls, cities, spa & wellness facilities, trade fairs and amusement parks provide secure and reliable access and entry control for people and vehicles. SKIDATA places great value in providing solutions that are intuitive, easy to use, and secure. The integrated concepts of SKIDATA solutions help clients optimize performance and maximize profits. SKIDATA Group (www.skidata.com) belongs to the publicly traded Swiss Kudelski Group (www.nagra.com), a leading provider of digital security solutions.

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