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Drayton Manor Theme Park is the latest customer to be convinced by the award winning Fase II fusion splicer.
Drayton Manor Park is one of the UK's most popular attractions.
Originally built by George Bryan in 1949, it is one of the oldest theme parks in the UK.
Attractions include a zoo, farm, museums, as well as over 100 rides.
With corporate banquets also on offer it is not surprising that such an attraction brings in millions of visitors each year.
The IT network, therefore, needs to control the admission process effectively.
It is not just a case of taking the money and running the business.
The network needs to facilitate ease of access for the customer, as well as reduce queuing times.
The IT network at Drayton consists of tills communicating with a server down an optical-fibre link.
The system allocates the correct price for each entrant (either adult, junior or senior citizen), as well as deciding if it is peak or off peak season.
As the site is built on a 250-acre park, bandwidth requirements over such a large area meant that optical fibre was the ideal transmission medium.
There is also the added benefit of being able to expand the network as developments on the site take place in the future, without hindering its performance.
Andrew McSherry, IT Manager of Drayton, discussed the reasons behind the decision to opt for a fusion splicer.
"In the past we had used mechanical splices, which do not result in a particularly low splice loss across the joint".
"Our investigations showed us the comparative accuracy of fusion splicing, and we made the decision to commission the installation".
"However, as one of the UK's most popular attractions, many of our busiest periods are concentrated around bank holidays - so to allow us to provide a high level of service at those critical times, we decided to bring the capability in-house".
"Our key objective is to continue to improve our management of effective admission procedures and I am confident that this system will work perfectly in conjunction with our continuing increase in visitor numbers".
"We are also seriously considering implementing the system at Drayton Manor Hotels, where we can foresee similar benefits".
In terms of the performance of the Fase II, McSherry believed that the compact design would give the user confidence in the field.
"The Fase II is field portable, sturdy and very easy to use".
"When dealing with cabinets that are positioned at different heights above ground, it is refreshing to carry out each installation without any concerns".
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