SAE News & Events

Bottles at the Border. State of Texas boosts revenue collection on liquor carried into the US from Mexico.

saesystems — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:51:06 +0000

For decades, tourists have brought countless bottles of tequila, mescal and other exotic spirits back into Texas through the state’s major border crossings with Mexico. US citizens are entitled to bring a specified number of bottles in duty free; additional bottles are subject to an excise tax to be paid at the point and time of entry.

TABC (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission) compliance officers collect excise taxes on imported alcoholic beverages and cigarettes from pedestrians and non-commercial vehicles crossing from Mexico who declare to the officer they are bringing liquor or cigarettes back from Mexico. TABC collectors are located on the international bridges, on sidewalks in the border station and in a booth at the border station’s non-commercial exit.

Historically, the technology for collection and recording of taxes has been limited to pens, paper forms, clipboards and filing cabinets. Now, thanks to the efforts of TABC and SAE, the entire process has been updated to the 21st century.

Houston-based SAE, leading developer of mobile computing applications for order accuracy, worked with the agency to implement a technology solution that would maximize the state’s return-on-investment.

The UPC bar code label that appears on every bottle held the key. All TABC compliance officers have been equipped with hand-held, wireless computers with integrated bar code scanners. When an agent scans the bar code on a liquor bottle, the system software calls up the product that corresponds to that bar code and indicates the amount of tax due. Similar to the check out line of a grocery store, the hand-held terminal keeps a running tally of the products and a running total of the taxes until all bottles have been scanned and accounted for. TABC officers print out a total tax invoice on the spot and collect the appropriate amount of money from the “customer.”

When the transaction is complete, the order information is uploaded via a local wireless network to the TABC computer based accounting system. The system maintains a real-time record of every bottle declared and every tax dollar collected, indicates time and location and identifies the officer handling the transaction. This information and other data points generate an electronic record against the actual amounts of cash and credit card receipts deposited at the end of each shift.

“This is a project that we are especially proud to have been a part of,” says Mickey Johnson of SAE. “It’s been an opportunity to deliver ROI for a key government function and assist TABC in capturing all rightful revenues on behalf of the people it serves. “
For more information, visit the government solutions page of the SAE website or contact Mickey Johnson.

Follow The Money – National armored car fleet implements wireless, real-time tracking of cash pick-ups, in-transit packaging and drop-offs

saesystems — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:44:06 +0000

With a nationwide network of secure money vaults and a fleet of state-of-the-art armored trucks, Loomis is the country’s leading cash handler. Unlike a bank, with its tellers and cash drawers, Loomis is a dynamic “cash supply chain.” Trucks hit the road loaded with prescribed amounts of cash from company vaults. On their routes, trucks drop off packaged amounts at some locations and pick up deposits from others. In between stops, employees onboard each truck must account for every deposit (pick-up) and withdrawal (delivery), and repackage cash for ongoing deliveries throughout their shift.

While rigorous security protocols control the movement of cash throughout the day, genuine accounting controls could only be applied after trucks physically returned to their assigned Loomis branches.

Out of in-depth operational studies and technology, mobile computing emerged as the path forward for Loomis to achieve an exponential leap in accuracy, security and employee productivity. SAE’s expertise in supply chain applications that ensure accurate delivery of orders and verify product pick-up and customer returns proved to be a perfect fit for the project.

“Our primary contribution was in the design stage,” reflects Greg Braun of SAE. “We saw an obvious parallel to the way bar codes and wireless networks are used in warehouse distribution to provide real-time visibility of every order. Instead of tracking cases of products, the Loomis system would be tracking bags of money as they moved throughout the company’s distribution network.”

Following successful system development by Saab, SAE sourced the Motorola and AT&T hardware and coordinated activation for 47 Loomis branches nationwide. Today, with a system capable of displaying the cash balance of every truck on the road in real time, Loomis brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “follow the money.”

For more information, visit www.saesytems.com or contact Greg Braun.

Where to find SAE on the road in 2010

saesystems — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:55:05 +0000

Nothing in the brave new world of digital marketing can surpass the power of a handshake and a face-to-face conversation. That’s why SAE regularly participates in major industry trade shows and events around the world. The tentative line up for 2010 includes:

Check back soon!

Texas’ first family of food and beverage distribution pops the top on order accuracy with SAE Selector Pro

saesystems — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:56:17 +0000

For over 100 years, the name Ben E. Keith has been number one in the hearts and minds of beer drinking Texans. Standing alongside the beer distribution division, Ben E. Keith Foods distributes a full line of fresh produce, frozen foods, meats, dry groceries, refrigerated foods, paper goods, equipment and supplies to restaurants, hospitals, schools, nursing homes and other institutional businesses.

Entering its second century, the company has transformed operations at its nine distribution centers to achieve new standards for order accuracy and customer service.

“Pioneering is eternal was the personal motto of our company founder, Ben E. Keith,” says Michael Roach, food division president. “I think he would have been excited to see our warehouse employees using laser bar code scanners and wireless data terminals to pull products for customer orders. And, I know he’d be thrilled to see the impressive numbers we’re posting now for order accuracy and productivity.”

Learn more about Selector Pro and the entire Pro System at www.saesystems.com or contact Greg Braun.

Preferred pricing and streamlined procurement available now for state and local government agencies

saesystems — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:49:31 +0000

SAE has been named an approved vendor for the GoDirect program managed by the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR). Agencies and departments can now go straight to the source – SAE – for development of mobile workforce solutions, productivity applications and hardware purchases. GoDirect enables agency staff to bypass unnecessary red tape and ensures them of working with technology providers that have a proven track record for performance, customer service and integrity.

“We’re very proud to be included in the state’s GoDirect Program,” says Jerry Sacks, president of SAE. “The opportunity to leverage technology with a combination of best practices from the private and public sectors is an exciting one.”

Additional GoDirect information on application development and hardware procurement is available at the SAE website.