Parking guidance company goes global — Exporter Magazine

Established in 2013, Cambridge based Parking Sense has made remarkable progress towards building a global business.

Signing a contract with a joint venture partner in the US was a key milestone for the growing company. 
 

The company is well on track to achieve its aim of being the world’s leading parking guidance technology company by the end of 2016. Deals are being signed with large commercial companies in New Zealand and plans are afoot to open distribution channels in Europe and the UK.
 

Parking Sense was created by industry pioneer Paul Collins and long-time business partner, Dave Mackie.  They are now leading the world in the development of smarter parking guidance solutions with significantly lower costs. 
 

Collins has been hard at work developing the next generation of parking guidance. “We have learned a lot over our 14 years in the parking business,” says Collins. “Equally, we have seen the market evolve and the industry mature. Along with this, technology has evolved exponentially which means we have to be at the crest of the wave. 
 

“On top of all this, behaviours are changing. People’s commuting and driving patterns, traffic congestion, focus on sustainability and growth in inner-city living … we need to adjust our thinking to fit.”
 

The flagship product for Parking Sense is the Easy Guide system. Along with its highly competitive unit price, a lease option is available which will put guidance in reach of organisations that would not otherwise have been able to consider it. 
 

“The way we see it,” says Collins, “is that the market has been price prohibitive to date. So if we want to maximise the opportunity and build the category, we need to develop pricing models that suit.”
 

Parking Sense USA has recently been formed along with equity partners Bluefin. Collins: “Even before the ink was dry on the contract, we had a deal in place with the US military contractor and a sales pipeline in the tens of millions and we are getting very close to signing a couple of extremely big deals. We have an excellent management team in place, a great product, strong networks and a great deal of ambition.”
 

With the US operation now up and running, the focus will be on securing distribution partners in Europe and the UK, then working on a plan to tackle the Middle East and Asia.”
 

When asked what’s on the horizon, Collins answered, “there’s a saying in the parking business – watch this space!”