Background
River Island has been a household name and well respected fashion brand on British High Streets for many years. They are now expanding their business with an additional 300 stores across the UK, Ireland and internationally throughout Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
River Island has a 466,558 sq ft distribution center split between 2 units and located on 23.35 acres at Magna Park Milton Keynes. The units were completed in September 2010, with now over 600 employees serving all the 270 stores throughout the UK.
User
River Island UK Distribution Center
Market Segment
Retail
Project Time
2011
Product
PD70X Portable Radio
PD78X Portable Radio
MD78X Mobile Radio
The Challenge
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Upon moving to their new multi-million pounds distribution center, River Island quickly identified a problem with communication using an analog two-way radio system. A lack of coverage in particular areas gave opportunity to operation problems hidden in blind spots. Two different user groups using the same frequency often caused interference, confusion and lack of efficiency of communication.After defining the problem, Radio Links Communications Ltd, Hytera authorised partner in the UK, deployed a Hytera Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) system at River Island Distribution Center, solving the previous issues on the analog radio system.
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The radio users found the coverage of the Hytera DMR system exceeded the coverage requirement and the system features surpassed all other competitors in this case, resulting in River Island deciding to purchase Hytera PD70X/PD78X digital portable radios with a Hytera DMR MD78X base radio in the control room.
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As part of the modernization program, the Bureau wanted to upgrade the communication and incident recording solutions available to customs staff. It wanted to implement a body worn camera (BWC) system to provide daily recordings and real time viewing capabilities.
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The BWC solution was needed to capture video evidence, so the footage could be used to review incidents. BOC also wanted to deploy BWCs at ports throughout the Philippine archipelago to enhance its monitoring activities.
The Solution
The main requirement of the communications for the distribution center was to provide clear and reliable audio communication within the 2 main units in Magna Park, totaling 466,558 sq ft. over 4 floors.
Two user groups (security and operations) required simultaneous communication whilst sharing one single channel/frequency.
To meet these requirements, a Hytera MD78X base radio was installed in the control room with the security and operations teams using Hytera PD70X/PD78X color display/keypad radios in "Pseudo Trunking" mode. The result was that two teams were able to communicate simultaneously, without
interfering with each other's communication or activity and without need for an additional frequency licence.
Another benefit of this "pseudo trunking" feature meant that the control center could monitor both channels without changing channel, therefore creating more fluid and comprehensive communication and less margin for error or missed communication.
Benifits
Hytera DMR radio system for River Island is simple and cost effective. Three main benefits for the application are:
1. Hytera DMR Solution provides superior coverage and audio quality;
2. Two talk channels in one frequency (pseudo trunking feature) helps to reduce license costs;
3. Superior robust handsets match the demands of working environment.
