A.P.T. Parking Technologies and Westfalia Technologies Break Ground on NYC's Largest Automated Parking Garage

Baruch Singer Selects Leading Parking Team for Coney Island Office Project

NEW YORK, April 29 -- A.P.T. Parking Technologies, the nation's leading automated parking facility developer, together with Westfalia Technologies, the world's leading manufacturer of automated storage and parking systems, broke ground recently for New York City's largest automated parking garage project, a 270-car facility to be part of a new nine-story, 226,000 square-foot office building being developed by Baruch Singer at 1504 Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn, NY.

Designed to maximize parking within the tight urban space constraints of this site, the developer selected the team of A.P.T. Parking Technologies and Westfalia Technologies because of the superior quality and reliability of their existing automated garages around the world.

"The selection of our parking system highlights how automated parking can enhance a real estate development opportunity," said Lee Lazarus, president of A.P.T. Parking Technologies, based in New York City. "Automated parking garages provide greater efficiency and flexibility in design, allowing the developer to use less space for parking and allocate additional space for significantly more profitable revenue streams."

At this New York City location, the high water table prevented the developer from excavating down far enough to build a conventional parking garage. The reduced excavation needed for the automated parking system saved the developer money, while allowing a greater density of parking spaces in an area half the size of a traditional parking garage.

"In addition to doubling the number of parking spaces in the available space, the automated parking system provides a number of added personal and vehicle safety benefits, since no one actually enters the garage and there is no risk of vehicle damage or theft," said Mr. Singer. "Additionally, there are significant 'green' benefits, since car engines are turned off during the parking process, and users have the convenience of dropping off and picking up their cars at a central location without having to navigate ramps, walk aimlessly through a garage searching for their cars or risk crime associated with dark, deserted garages."

Drivers will enter the automated parking garage, drive down one level, enter one of three transfer cabins, turn off their engines and leave. After a series of safety checks ensure the car or SUV is vacant, the vehicle, parked on a pallet, is moved through the automated garage by a computer-operated system to an available parking space on the two levels below. When returning for their car, clients simply run their ticket through a smart card reader, and their car will automatically be returned to them in one of the transfer cabins. Vehicles will be rotated in the transfer cabins so that clients can drive straight out of the garage. The entire process takes less than two minutes.

"We are very excited to provide our state-of-the-art automated parking system as the solution to the parking needs at 1504 Coney Island Avenue," said Daniel Labell, president of Westfalia Technologies, which has 30 years of experience in the design and construction of automated systems throughout the world. "We have built more than 350 automated storage facilities, including numerous automatic parking garages, around the globe, and we look forward to bringing these time tested systems to the U.S. market."

With Westfalia's in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities and A.P.T. Parking Technologies' development expertise, the team is able to design the ideal parking garage to fit any location - above or below ground. This latest automated garage will be the first in the U.S. to be manufactured and installed completely by a U.S. company from Westfalia's manufacturing facility in York, PA. The Coney Island automated garage is expected to be completed in mid-2010.

The team of A.P.T. Parking Technologies and Westfalia is also building a 300-car automated parking garage at the $200 million Lovejoy Wharf development on the Boston Harbor waterfront. The team also has proposals pending throughout the country, including NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Miami, Jersey City, Ft. Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Chicago, DC, Tampa, Atlanta, and Portland.

About A.P.T. Parking Technologies

A.P.T. Parking Technologies consists of parking professionals who are experts in automated parking garages and their design and incorporation into new construction. As industry experts, A.P.T. Parking Technologies co-authored "The Guidelines to the Design and Operation of Automated Parking Facilities" published by the National Parking Association and widely considered the authoritative source for information on automated parking systems. A.P.T. Parking works with real estate developers, parking operators, architects, engineers, and parking consultants to evaluate the parking needs of a project and designs cost-effective automated parking garages to satisfy these parking needs. For more information visit APT.

About Westfalia Technologies, Inc.

Westfalia Technologies, Inc. is a leader in providing logistical solutions for garages, warehouses and distribution centers. Its expertise combining both software development and machinery manufacturing means Westfalia is able to deliver turn-key solutions with unsurpassed quality and control, all under one roof. Besides automated parking systems, its material handling products include Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS), Savanna.NET(R) Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), pallet flow storage systems, conveyor systems, order picking systems, palletizers, and stainless steel case packing systems with associated conveying, stacking and handling equipment. For more information visit WESTFAILAUSA.