iB Management Solutions, offering electronic key management for automotive dealerships, reports adoption of its eTag system accelerate over the last 12 months, growing by over 20,000 cars per month with two million cars managed and protected by eTag since it began.
At the end of 2010, iB Management Solutions had achieved 15,000 registered users. The eTag system is used by dealerships including Porsche Retail Group, Mercedes Benz Retail, BMW Park Lane, Sytner Group and Essex Auto Group. Dealerships are also expanding their use of the eTag system with each site now having an average of 546 key slots under management by eTag. Access to keys is only given to authorised individuals using proximity access tokens or fingerprint biometric readers. When a car arrives at a dealership, details are entered onto the eTag system and the keys are allocated an intelligent fob (iFob) which identifies the car. Vehicle movements are monitored when the key is taken or returned to and from the cabinet. Specific slots can be allocated in the cabinet to indicate specific areas within the dealership, such as the showroom or workshop to track the physical vehicle location.
The company adds that the tag also saves time and money wasted searching for keys and location of vehicles: a check on the eTag system shows dealer staff who has the keys and the vehicle location. Inter-dealer car transfers are also simplified through networking eTag systems together, eliminating duplication of data entry and paperwork on arrival at a dealer site. Paul Smith, managing director, iB Management Solutions, said: “Electronic key management systems are now definitely mainstream and are seen as an essential tool for any modern car dealership; they are an integral part of day-to-day operations. Our eTag system is exceptionally robust and has clocked up nearly 37 million individual key movements, with some 6.2 million during 2010. Apart from the obvious security benefits, our customers know the efficiency and certainty that eTag brings to their dealerships, and their usage of eTag grows and grows. For more information, visit –
