One platform for factory canteen, parking and access control

Factories and buildings usually invest in operational systems in stages: first the canteen, then parking, then access control at the gate. If each system has its own staff list and its own software, data has to be entered again in several places and gradually stops matching between systems.

This post explains how Sol26 Canteen, Sol26 Parking and Sol26 Access are built on one technical foundation, sharing staff data and infrastructure, so a business can start with one system and expand step by step.

The problem with a separate staff list per system

At many factories, the canteen worker list, the parking card list and the list of people allowed through the gate are managed separately. When staff join or leave, data has to be updated in each system.

• The same employee is entered several times in different software
• Staff who have left remain in one of the systems
• Employee IDs and departments do not match across reports
• Each system needs its own server and technical contact

One staff list for several systems

Sol26 solutions share staff data and infrastructure. The staff list is imported by plant, department, section and employee ID, then used by the canteen, parking and access control.

Recognition devices at each point sync the user list from the server. When a new system is added, the business integrates it with existing data instead of re-entering the staff list from scratch.

Starting point: the canteen

For multi-shift factories, the canteen is often the first problem to solve. With Sol26 Canteen, staff order meals in a web app and collect them at the counter with Face ID or a QR code, the system blocks duplicate collection and reports meals ordered and served per shift.

After this stage the business already has its staff list in the system, a server and face recognition devices at the counter. This is the foundation that later systems reuse.

• Staff list by plant, department, section and employee ID
• Customer server, physical or virtual, or a cloud deployment
• Layered firewalls and role-based access
• UPS backup for counter devices

Extending to parking

When Sol26 Parking is added, plate recognition cameras record vehicles on entry, match them automatically on exit and alert on duplicate plates or overcapacity. Staff can use short-range cards, and cars can use long-range UHF tags.

One central application manages several stations, with full parking history and traffic statistics by period. In buildings, resident data including plate, name, card and unit is synced with building management.

Adding access control at the gate

Sol26 Access places Face ID terminals at pedestrian lanes, barriers and plate recognition cameras at vehicle lanes, and a monitoring screen in the guard house. It is managed in the same software as parking and shares the staff list with the canteen and parking.

The install and integrate step covers installing devices, bringing the staff list into the system and integrating with parking and canteen where present. A business already running Sol26 Canteen or Sol26 Parking reuses its existing staff list at this step.

A phased deployment path

1. 1Survey and consulting: agree requirements and the order in which systems are deployed
2. 2Canteen: pilot on one counter, then install devices at the remaining counters
3. 3Parking: survey and design the layout of cameras, barriers and guard house for each lane
4. 4Gate: install Face ID terminals at pedestrian lanes and integrate with parking and canteen
5. 5Operation: user training, technical support and scheduled maintenance

Solutions can be deployed alone or combined, on an on-premise server or on the cloud, purchased outright or rented according to usage.

Benefits of a shared platform

• One staff list shared by canteen, parking and access control
• Shared server and network infrastructure
• Access control and parking managed in the same software
• Integration with the customer's existing systems
• One technical team from survey and deployment to training and maintenance after handover

Frequently asked questions

Do all three systems have to be deployed at the same time?

No. The solutions share one technical foundation, so they can be deployed alone or combined, starting with one system and adding others later.

Does the staff list have to be re-entered when parking or access control is added?

The solutions share staff data, so the list already held by the earlier system is reused. Deployment focuses on installing devices and integrating with the existing system.

Does the system run on an on-premise server or on the cloud?

It can run on the customer's own server, physical or virtual, or on the cloud.

Can it integrate with the business's existing systems?

Sol26 integrates its solutions with the customer's existing systems. The scope of integration is agreed at the survey and consulting stage.