Tell us a short story about innovation in your company.
Innovation has always been, and still is, an essential part of Metra’s essence and an important part of its business, going back to Metra’s beginnings in the early 1990s. Metra developed their first smart locking systems for lockers out of market necessity. At the time, no “smart” system for lockers would enable seamless, frictionless, and touchless locker access and use for guests of successful ski and sea resorts worldwide. More importantly, a smart system for lockers would provide centralized locker management and be connected with access control, rental services, and/or other systems within the leisure facility or compound.
Which are the most significant projects from 2023?
The most significant projects, size- and integration-wise, were surely the ones from the corporate and leisure markets. Those Metra smart locker solutions usually manage hundreds or even thousands of lockers and locker users, which can be located in various locations.
Such smart locker projects are also seamlessly embedded or integrated with the existing ecosystem of access control, rental & payment software, management software, Human resources, etc., to ensure a more frictionless user experience and facility management.
What projects were the most challenging?
The most challenging projects are usually also the most interesting to work on. The finished result is always a unique, innovative use of lockers, fully tailored to the client’s wishes and needs. We are always happy to see how our smart locker solutions help grow the client’s business, reduce their maintenance time and costs, support the daily dynamics of the locker users, and elevate their user experience and well-being.
What products/solutions were used in the projects?
The Metra Workplace Lockers is the name for Metra smart solutions tailored for personal lockers at offices, office buildings, and other workplaces (e.g., in healthcare). The lockers are mostly used by employees but can also be used by daily business visitors and others. Due to their workplace-related specifics, these solutions are also used by students, faculty, and employees at schools, campuses and other educational facilities.
The Delivery Metra lockers are smart solutions for enabling delivery/pickup type of locker use. They are mostly used in corporate, educational or healthcare environments. They provide secure and easy-to-use dropoff, pickup, and exchange storage for exchanging IT assets and business documentation or collecting various ordered products. The lockers can be used by employees, customers or others, depending on the solution. The Metra Delivery Lockers solution is sometimes used alongside the Metra Workplace Lockers solution to provide personal and exchange storage functionality to locker users in certain buildings, campuses, or facilities.
Metra Entry-to-Exit solution for leisure facilities is a preferred go-to solution for modern pools, waterparks, and other leisure facilities that want to bring their facility’s access management and their guest experience to a whole new level. The solution combines Metra smart access and Metra smart lockers for guests with a payment system into an enclosed and complete solution, which enables seamless user access and payment experience throughout the leisure facility (Blue Lagoon, Iceland).
Metra Rental Lockers is Metra’s smart solution for clients who want to monetize their guests’, visitors’, or customers’ locker use via Point-of-sale, Self-service, or a combination of both at their amusement park, ski resort, or elsewhere.
Though each Metra solution is unique, as no smart locker project is the same, the above solutions are chosen by most clients who want to transform their lockers and change their perception, use, and functionality for the benefit of their users, their business, and their environmental impact.
What are the usual challenges you encounter?
The challenges can be different, yet the most enjoyable and satisfying ones are the unique ones. The result is usually a creative solution that optimizes client’s and locker users’ processes and/or saves different resources for the client. A highly appreciative and satisfied client is a big added bonus.
How did Metra overcome the challenges?
Being one of the pioneers of the smart locker system industry with over thirty years of track record, we, of course, had our share of different challenges related to technology advancement, macroeconomic and geopolitical developments, general trends, and various others. It surely has to do with our company’s philosophy of staying innovative, reliable, and flexible so that we can adjust instantly to changes and challenges. Much like our smart systems for lockers.
Which are the most innovative products/solutions in Metra’s lineup?
Innovative Metra solutions can enable a user to access, use, and manage a locker as a personal or exchange locker. Sometimes, the location where lockers with the Metra system are available can be an innovative solution on its own.
Metra was the first to provide mobile locker access, which allows users to access personal and parcel lockers with mobile phones and smartwatches via mobile apps or mobile wallets like Apple Wallet. This can be identified as the latest trend in the access industry.
What was the research behind the products/solutions?
The research focuses on identifying and solving the current and future needs of clients and end users, and other elements that we believe are or will be important in our industry. Further improving the reliability, functionality, and usability of Metra smart locks and the Metra smart system is also always part of the research.
What problems/challenges do locker users usually encounter?
Our clients want to enhance and improve their day-to-day business by reducing or completely removing the costly, time-consuming problems caused by daily use, needed maintenance, and management of their ordinary or battery-operated lockers. Companies and organizations from various markets are becoming increasingly aware that such lockers can directly affect how securely personal or business items are stored in them and the ease of access and use of those lockers. Because those factors affect the experience, perception, and well-being of employees, guests, or others in the client’s office, water park, or other facility.
How are Metra products/solutions used in solving users’ problems?
Lockers equipped with the Metra smart system provide secure and user-adapted smart storage that supports users’ dynamics and improves their experience and well-being. From the clients’ perspective, The Metra smart system enables clients’ lockers to become an integral part of their smart office or building environment, which helps optimize various facility management, access, and HR activities.
Metra smart locking technology in lockers helps a company or organization save time, money, and energy, reduce maintenance staff, improve the interior’s visual appeal, elevate users’ positive perception of the client’s facility and services, attract and retain talent, make the environment more user-centric, reduce the business’s environmental footprint, and have other positive effects that are important to the client.
What are your forecasts for upcoming years?
We see corporate markets and individual clients increasingly understand the various advantages and positive effects (of equipping their lockers with Metra smart locker systems) on employee experience, guest satisfaction, overall well-being, brand, business operations, and, last but not least, business growth and success.
Metra offers renowned clients vast expertise, technical support, constant innovation, and fully tailored smart storage solutions. The company’s solutions enhance the functionality and usability of storage furniture for a wide range of B2B clients in corporate, industry, health, educational, leisure, sports, and other sectors.
If you want your lockers to provide a future-ready level of security, frictionless locker use, and a seamless experience to optimize workflows and elevate well-being at your office, building, or facility, don’t hesitate to contact us.
