INTERVIEW WITH EL-TRA

EL-TRA is an Italian manufacturer of motorized equipment to issue, read and validate tickets and RFID cards. The company was founded in 1970 and for several years was focused on the design and production of Digital Magnetic Heads for companies like Olivetti and Telecom before concentrating on full equipment and cabinets for motorways. Nowadays, ELTRASISTEMI is a brand that represents the synthesis of the experience accumulated in over 50 years of activity in more than 70 countries worldwide. Their solutions integrate up to 4 different technologies: barcode, magnetic, RFID and chip.

Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?

EL-TRA: Main areas of activity are: PARKING, MOTORWAYS, PUBLIC TRANSPORTS, KIOSKS and GENERAL ACCESSES.

E.E: What’s the news for 2021 about new products?

EL-TRA: During the pandemic the company decided to focus on new special line belonging to a new sector: cleaning and health.  The prolonged lock downs put in stand-by several projects and new requests were coming from new areas.  For that reason, by taking advantage of our experience in mechatronics, we decided to invest time and resources to add new line of cleaning and sanitizing equipment to be used in ambulances, hospitals, offices.  SANICUBE 20 and SANICUBE 35 are the first 2 solutions available already.

E.E: What are the ranges of products?

EL-TRA: In our lines, we offer several equipment models.  Main characteristics is the modularity which allow us to be very flexible, quick in production and guarantee very high standard of quality and aftersales service.  Most part of the models, in fact, use the same components and that allows multiple configurations of the same equipment to satisfy customers’ different specific requirements.

Main lines are:

– BARCODE LINE

            – Dispenser for paper ticket (fanfold or roll)

            – Reader for paper ticket

            – Validator for paper ticket

– MAGNETIC LINE

– Dispenser for paper ticket (fanfold or roll)

            – Reader/encoder for paper ticket

            – Validator for paper ticket

– RFID LINE

            – Dispensers for RFID PVC cards or RFID paper tickets

            – Reader/encoder for RFID PVC cards or RFID paper tickets

E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?

EL-TRA: Market shrinked quite a bit in the last years, especially for PARKING industry due mainly to uncertainties which increased recently with spread of COVID19. Motorways is cyclical and its trend is now positive as well as Public Transports where step by step old projects based on magnetic technology are replaced or updated with also RFID newest technology. Typically, in fact, disposable one way/roundtrip tickets are based on paper tickets while seasonal passes are loaded on RFID PVC card. Always more cities are now offering also RFID paper ticket (CHIP ON PAPER) mainly for weekly pass or tourist pass valid from 24 to 72h.

E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?

EL-TRA: Parking is mainly barcode as technology being QR code (2D barcode) very trendy in the last few years.  RFID for seasonal passes is always more spread requiring so the new systems to be able to manage more technologies at same time.  Paperless use of the installation through the use of new apps is always more popular. The main problem with that is the security and management of end users’ personal data. Tickets represents today the only and last bulwark to our privacy.

E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?

EL-TRA: RFID paper ticket dispenser/reader/encoder model ELG9000-RC2-TP is our most successful equipment lately due to the need or integration of RFID technology to motoways and public transport projects where disposal tickets represent still a MUST for high number of end users/passengers to manage. RFID dispenser model for PVC cards ELS10000 is very popular but the COVID19 pandemic require a shift from PVC re-usable cards to disposal paper tickets for health reasons.

BOTTOM UP is our most sophisticate solution useful for fully automatic projects thanks to its auto-refill feature and cards capacity which makes it completely independent from human presence.

E.E: What estimations do you have for 2021?

EL-TRA: For the current year we estimate same turnover of last year on regular lines while we expect to register our first sales on the new CLEANING LINE with SANICUBE 20 and SANICUBE 35. Estimates are improving instead for 2022 when we expect to return to pre-COVID conditions and sales.

www.eltrasistemi.com

New division for CLEANING & SANITIZING EQUIPMENT: www.sanifica.it

EL-TRA SRL

Via Reiss Romoli 200

10148 TORINO – ITALY

Tel: +39 011 2202545

E-mail: lzanzon@eltrasistemi.com

Web: www.eltrasistemi.com

www.sanifica.it