Great Southern Bank

 

Great Southern Bank is Australia’s largest customer-owned bank. For 75 years, they have been dedicated to helping their customers achieve their financial goals and own their own homes.

During the recent brand upgrade, Great Southern Bank wanted to ensure they provided a collaborative, flexible and supportive working environment for their staff. No stone was to be left unturned in the provision of facilities, and hence the opportunity came to install the Metra Electronic Locker System into their office lockers, enabling their employees greater flexibility of access, and to feel more secure about their personal belongings during the day.

Close to 900 Metra electronic locks were installed across four floors at their George St, Brisbane location. Each floor has two central Metra displays with card readers with the ability to read the employees Gallagher cards which give instant access to lockers, with real time reporting through MyMetraLockers software portal.

Our locking system was installed into custom office locker joinery completed by Five at Heart with the project being lead by the team at Quadric Construction.

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NSW Cricket Centre

The new home of Cricket NSW at Wilson Park in Sydney’s Silverwater has been built for the needs of current and future generation cricketers at every level; coaches, umpires, administrators, and volunteers.  The new facility is said to provide contemporary high-performance training and playing facilities for all NSW professional teams, offer pathway and development programs, a community facility and office space for almost 150 staff.

Metra Aus were approached by both the builder and joiner for the project to provide a solution for electronic locking technology within the lockers throughout the players and community change rooms, administration areas and for kit bag storage on the ground floor.

There is a total of 347 electronic locks were installed throughout the facility with a mix of our RFID “on door” solution and centralised locking solution.

With all staff and regular players to be issued an RFID access card whilst using the facility, the RFID on door was considered the best solution as it allows a user to move directly to either their assigned locker, or a free locker and unlock at the door. The small number of the centralised lockers are reserved for casual users to the open auditorium.

All of the lockers were custom designed by Cox Architects, and the Metra lock was able to accommodate their unique needs – including the large horizontally hinged, lift up lockers designed specifically for large kit-bag storage.

The change rooms required a lot of individual storage, but only a small allocation of secure, valuable storage.

Lockers to the open plan office area are low height, and readily accessible for staff.

Building management:  Cricket NSW

Builder:  Buildcorp

Locker joinery:  Euroline

8 Chifley Square, Sydney

8 Chifley Square is an iconic Sydney 24-level landmark offering 19,350 square metres of premium grade office space​ centred within Australia’s leading business precinct.

End of trip facilities (EOTF) have become commonplace for commercial buildings around Australia. To keep up with trends, including catering for the active lifestyle of the modern worker, the EOTF in 8 Chifley Square recently undertook a complete refurbishment.

Metra Aus were selected as the supplier of the electronic locker locking solution throughout the facility. In conjunction with Five at Heart, we installed 155x  centralised locks and 3x touchless Metra kiosks into their lockers across the male and female change rooms.

Casual patrons are able to assign themselves a locker upon presenting their building access card at the Metra readers. The lockers are also set up to accept VIP reservations. Meaning that a locker can be reserved/assigned to a patron for a period of time via the MyMetraLocker software and not be available for casual patrons.

When a reservation, casual or VIP, expires the lockers switch to “service mode” and are unable to be re-hired until the locker has been cleaned.

8 Chifley Square also chose to upgrade the locks by integrating the Metra Aus LED lighting and 2.4 amp USB charger with dual outlets. The chargers have the capacity to charge current smartphones and tablets.

Building management: Mirvac

Builder: Girvan Group

Locker joinery: Five at Heart

1 Bligh Street, Sydney

 

1 Bligh offers premium grade sustainable office space and is a building that combines leading edge design, technology, and sustainability in one of the world’s most enviable locations.

1 Bligh provides 27 levels of office space in an environment that inspires its tenants every day. When Metra Aus were approached to provide a locking solution for the end of trip facilities we knew no stone was going to be left unturned to ensure the solution met all requirements.

With contactless solutions a high priority for building management group Dexus, they chose to utilise palm scanners to access their lockers as per a previous site. To allow for these palm scanners, Metra Aus installed our proprietary Wiegand converter to allow ease of configuration with the Metra Management Portal.

The locker usage is configured with a mix of daily (casual) hire, and the option to assign lockers to VIP staff for long term reservations. Assigned lockers can have a reservation length of up to 27 years.

When a locker reservation expires, whether that be automatically at the end of the day or at the end of the set reservation period, they go into “Metra Service Mode” allowing for cleaning prior to being re-hired.

Building security is managed by Gallagher using their encrypted Gallagher card and the third party palm scanner, Metra have been able to import and integrate as required so that the same card/ ID is also used for the lockers.

There were a total of 231x centralised locks installed throughout the male and female changerooms, hallway and bike rack area.

Building management: Dexus

Builder: Girvan Group

Locker joinery: Five at Heart

Australian Healthcare Associates

Australian Healthcare Associates (AHA) are a high-performance management consultancy based in Bourke Street Melbourne. They are built specifically to help federal and state governments achieve their health and human services goals.

When it came time for an office revamp, AHA reached out to Metra Aus requesting a smart locker solution where their team can access their lockers via a Mobile App.

Two banks of lockers were installed in the office with a total of 71 centralised electronic locks. A Metra Display and a central reader with HID technology and Bluetooth was installed as an extra option for access card holders, as well as allowing Master Card functionality. But going mobile was paramount for AHA, and so MyMetraKey (MMK) has proved the perfect solution for staff.

The MyMetraLockers Software is used to assign permanent lockers to staff, while casual users can also use MMK to hire a locker for the day. Notifications from both MML & MMK can also alert staff if they left their locker door open, their locker hire is about to expire, or when the locker was just serviced

“With most staff now using the mobile phones to access the office,  MyMetraKey was the perfect solution for staff to access lockers. It’s simple and straightforward to use, and the MyMetraLockers software allows us to remotely control the lockers, and review usage patterns”

– Alex Papa, IT Security and Support Lead

Vale: Don Hartley

 

Metra Australia is saddened to report the death of co-founder, director and industry entrepreneur Don Hartley who died on Tuesday 8th March, at the age of 63, as a result of cancer.

A pioneer in the contract management of aquatic, recreation and sport facilities in Australia, Don will be remembered as an industry innovator whose low-key management approach inspired many in the industry.

Prior to Metra Australia, establishing in 2014, Don co-founded Leisure Management Services in 1995, which continues to operate facilities today. His experience with the technological needs of facilities, led him to co-found Links Modular Solutions in 1999.  Links then went on to sell their market-leading software company in 2016.

Looking back on Don’s achievements, longstanding business partner Nick Ciccarelli and current director of Metra Aus, highlighted that Don started in a time where community leisure provision was an outdoor pool and a community centre and the concept of a ‘leisure centre’ was in its infancy.

It was from humble beginnings as a Duty Manager at the East Keilor Leisure Centre, that Don perfected his entrepreneurial skills. Ironically, the redevelopment of East Keilor Leisure Centre was one of the last projects he saw Metra Aus technology be installed at.

The introduction of Compulsory Competitive Tendering by the Jeff Kennett-led Victorian Government of the 1990s provided the catalyst to take the next step in leisure management, and Leisure Management Services was born. The company grew from managing one facility, to at its prime, operating a wide range of facilities across multiple states.

Through Don’s business instincts and innovation Metra Australia became the natural progression of LMS. Always being one step ahead and predicting changes within the technology space, Metra Aus became the leading electronic locking and access control solution for leisure centre personal storage lockers.

Don’s vision didn’t stop there. He knew the locker business didn’t stop at leisure facilities and it wasn’t long before his vision became a reality with Metra locking technology now featuring in End of Trip facilities, corporate offices and schools and universities around Australia.

For those who have had the privilege to meet and work with Don, they will always remember his humour, endless stories, enthusiasm for business and life, and his ability to ‘think outside the square.

“As his long-term business partner and friend of 35 years, he has left a huge hole in the lives of myself and the wider leisure community and will be greatly missed.” – Nick Ciccarelli

Tennis Australia, Rod Laver Arena, VIC

Rod Laver Arena is home to one of the world’s major tennis championships, the first Grand Slam tournament each year- the Australian Open.

Metra Aus service team have supported Tennis Australia (TA) and their player lockers at the venue for several years.  As an upgrade to the facility, the decision was made in 2021 that the old battery locks needed to be replaced.

TA approached Metra Aus with the request to upgrade their 750 player lockers to a smarter, hardwired, reliable and eco friendly system. A high priority for TA was that the software had to be easy to use and provide up to date, real time reporting for the event management team. This can all be done via our locker management software.

We installed our Metra Electronic Locking system as a Centralised solution across the 4x change rooms in Rod Laver Arena. Each changeroom included 2x centralised RFID readers which are configured so the players can access their assigned locker/s via their building access card.

During the retrofit our team had to design a solution to adapt the joinery to house the lock and cable at the base of each individual locker and ensure there was nothing that would interfere with the use of the locker. The end result is a sleek look and seamless operation, you don’t even realise that this is a retrofit.

The management software makes it easy for the event team to allocate single or multiple lockers to each player, run reports and monitor usage of the lockers.

With the hardwired lockers now 100% online, our service team are able provide around the clock support, However, in this instance, having our expert technicians locally available was imperative for the Tennis Aus team. Now our team can provide efficient remote service or attend site when required.

We wouldn’t want Ash Barty to have her racquet stuck in a locker right before the final!

510 Church Street, Melbourne

A brand new build, 510 Church Street, Richmond aims to attract tenants who are looking for an innovative, flexible workspace environment to attract and retain the best talent.

The brief for this project included details on how the client hoped the building would exceed international technology industry benchmarks and accommodate various permutations of technologies to support new ideas, configurations, and installations during the life of a tenancy.

With the Metra Electronic Locking System, we can provide just that. Our technology is extremely flexible and user-friendly. It can be adapted to your organisation and preferred ways of use on the fly.

Throughout the end-of-trip facilities we installed our ELS Centralised locking solution with Metra Touch Display’s.

Lockers can be assigned to long term users with the remaining lockers available for casual daily use. These casual daily lockers can be easily self- assigned from the touch screens located throughout the facility.

Once the casual locker reservation expires, it automatically moves into a service mode and awaits the cleaning crew to come through and service the lockers. This ensures that the cleaning crew are only opening lockers that have been used on that day and are not wasting time on unused lockers.

The system has been designed to work with the sites base building access cards and the HID Bluetooth Access App.

With the Metra API enabled at 510 Church Street, they have the ability to control access to the lockers, create a user list, and manage reservations in 3rd party applications.

In addition to the smart locking system, the client opted to add our 2.54 amp USB charging solution into each locker.

Each USB charger includes dual outlets, a motion sensitive interior LED light and the capacity to charge current smartphones and tablets.

400 George St, Brisbane

Constructed in 2009, 400 George Street is situated adjacent to the Brisbane Magistrates Court and is located in the prestigious North Quarter of Brisbane’s CBD.

With the advancement of technology and access control solutions between then and now, it was decided that a renovation of the end of trip facilities in the building were required to continue to attract blue-chip corporate, state and commonwealth government tenants.

The key requirement for the project was to move away from battery keypads, which are harmful to the environment, and install our hardwired locking solution using base building card and have the option of a user App.

The Cromwell project team selected our Metra ELS DOT Net RFID on door, with exterior LED light indicator, solution to control the 530 lockers throughout the male and female amenities and public lounge area. This solution allows the patron to unlock their assigned locker directly at the door with their base building cards. The LED light indicators can be configured to show if the lockers are occupied or vacant.

MMK

In addition to using their access media, the lockers are also set up to use the MyMetraKey (MMK) mobile App. The App is compatible with both Apple and Android devices. MMK allows users to access their lockers or select, extend time and/or release lockers from their smart phone.

There is development works to integrate the Metra software platform with the base building app currently in progress

Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre

Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre (MSAC) is the home of high-performance sport in Victoria. Facilities include two 50-metre competition pools, a 25-metre indoor lap pool, a multi-purpose pool, a hydrotherapy pool plus a spa, sauna and steam room, a fully equipped gymnasium, and state of the art sports courts and stadiums. MSAC also plays host for all major swimming competitions in Victoria.

This installation is not the first time MSAC has experienced our locking technology. In fact we first installed our locks there back in 2014. With technology evolving and customer experience requirements growing its was time for an upgrade. The new solution required to be integrated with the new PerfectGym member’s management software, with members also able to access the new lockers using an App, and casuals able to self serve locker hire via payWave.

MSAC went through a thorough tender process to select their Lockers. Metra assisted with doing a full analysis of locker usage with income analysis and member vs casual usage penetration rate to provide the optimum number of lockers required.

Metra also engaged with PerfectGym to provide any assistance with the integration so that free access to lockers is limited to Members only.

We installed two banks of our bespoke Kupan HPL Compact Lockers, with a combination of 2 and 4 door towers, in two separate locations. Each bank sports a Metra Kiosk with Metra RFID readers and payWave.

MSAC - Paywave - 2021 (15 of 25)
MSAC - Paywave - 2021 (10 of 25)

In an Australian first, the MyMetraKey App was installed enabling members to access the new lockers via their smartphone. Members can also assign themselves a pin code to access the lockers without their membership card or smart phone.

The brand new lockers compliment the centre’s member lockers our team installed throughout the gym areas nicely. MSAC is able to monitor all lockers via the MyMetraLockers software, viewing  what lockers are being used, identifying peak locker usage times, and even remotely open locker doors if required

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