ABOUT THE COMPANY

Hours of Operation

Star City, Arkansas: 7:00 AM - 5:30 PM, Central Standard Time (CST)
Burlingame, California: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Pacific Standard Time (PST)

Brief Description of the Company

School Apparel, Inc. (SAI), a privately held business established in 1973, quickly became the leading manufacturer of school uniforms in the United States. Based on superior quality, outstanding service and in-depth inventory, SAI expanded into the career and corporate casual apparel industry in the mid-1980s.

Our vision is to provide unsurpassed quality, service and value to our customers at competitive prices.

We continually strive to implement and enhance our technologies and infrastructure pursuant to the needs of our customers and the end-user. Whether it's our state-of-the-art operating systems and business-to-business (B2B) information technologies, to friendly and knowledgeable SAI representatives, to the most comfortable, durable and fashionable products, we've got it.

From tops to bottoms, we manufacture a complete line of men's and women's career and corporate casual apparel, as well as a full line of school and dress code apparel for children.

We also provide embroidery, specialty stitching and designs for custom programs, as well as the ability to source additional product categories if needed. Everyday products include the following:

Shirts – Knit, Oxford, Broadcloth, Poplin & Aviator
Outerwear – Sweaters, Vests, Fleece Jackets, Turtlenecks & Overshirts
Men's & Women's Pants & Shorts
Jumpers, Skirts & Skorts
Activewear – Fleece Sweatshirts, Sweatpants & Sweatshorts, and Mesh & Gym Shorts
Socks – Crew, Sport & Uniform
Custom Programs – Embroidery, Screen-Printing, Specialty Stitching, Designs, etc.

All of our products offer a great fit, and feature exclusive A+ Fabrics for longer wear, easy care, maximum softness and everyday comfort.

We are your one-stop-shop, year round. Now that's value!

Planning, Manufacturing & Distribution

Planning

SAI's product management system combines the most up-to-date forecasting and planning software. We work with you by understanding your requirements in order to insure that your products are available when needed. We also establish raw materials and inventory needs based on historical and future needs.

Manufacturing & Distribution

SAI is proud that we maintain a domestic manufacturing and fulfillment facility that is centrally-located in Star City, Arkansas. Our facilities include a 90,000 square foot manufacturing plant, with 130,000 square feet of warehouse space. Sweaters, knit shirts, pants and shorts are manufactured here by several hundred employees.

One of the biggest advantages to maintaining a domestic manufacturing facility is the ability to quickly fill-in product inventory if needed.

We also understand cost realities of the market, so SAI owns production in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, where we manufacture woven and knit shirts, sweaters, pants and shorts. Additionally, SAI has the expertise and ability to source a wide range of products worldwide.

SAI maintains rigid quality standards in our domestic manufacturing facility as well as our off-shore sites. Our Quality Control team is lead by our full-time Quality Control Manager that reports directly to the Vice President of Manufacturing. SAI Quality Control teams are on-site both domestically, as well as at our off-shore locations.

All SAI products are manufactured with the end-user in mind. Strict quality policies are observed. This includes fabric inspections upon receipt, cutting room and in-process sewing inspections, post audits and extensive in-house laboratory testing of raw materials.

We use the finest raw materials, providing the durability and comfort that you and/or your customers require.

OUR GUARANTEE

We are so sure of our quality that we offer our WEAR-TESTED™ GUARANTEE. If any garment does not stand up to one year of normal wear, we'll replace it. It's that simple.

Customer Service

We value customer input. When a customer contacts us with feedback, we listen carefully and treat it as an opportunity to improve.

Customer Service Representatives (CSR's) at SAI are considered the "front line." Often, a CSR is the very first contact that a new or potential customer has with the company. Therefore, the Customer Service department at SAI is every bit as important as planning, manufacturing, sales, credit and shipping. Thanks to our excellent customer service, it is possible to pursue our goal of excellent customer satisfaction.

Each SAI customer has a dedicated CSR that is involved in all aspects of managing the account. This includes account set-up, inventory questions, order tracking information, and establishing forecasts.

Each CSR undergoes extensive initial and on-going training and is expected to be friendly and personable while being empowered to provide information and make decisions.

SAI does not hire people and train them to be friendly; we hire friendly people and train them to offer the best customer service.

Sales

SAI is structured to provide responsive and professional sales representation in the United States. Our territory managers have expertise in all aspects of our business - career, school, corporate and casual apparel.

These managers work with our customers on an ongoing basis in order to better understand their specified requirements and needs. Territory managers also work with friendly and dedicated CSR's to better serve our customer.

We will work together to get you what you need, when you need it. That's our promise to you.

Technology

SAI combines over 30 years of experience in the design, manufacturing and distribution of uniform and corporate casual apparel, with a forward-thinking commitment to cutting edge technology and all the benefits it provides.

Much like our fabrics, our apparel manufacturing processes are evolving and improving. SAI has embraced new technologies as a way to enhance the value to our customers.

For example, our customers have a variety of methods to assure efficient and accurate communications of sales orders ranging from telephone, fax and e-mail to web interface and our proprietary B2B website, with Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI).

SAI's proprietary B2B website allows our customers easy web access with password protected security for peace of mind.

Here are some of the key functions of our B2B website:

Confirmation Order Inquiry
Customer Account Status
Daily Booked/Shipped Details
Check Prices
Open Order Report
Open Order Report by Style
Print Order Confirmations
Print Invoice/Credit Memos
Print Account Statements
View Real-Time Inventory
Online Order Entry

Design

SAI's design staff is experienced in assisting and/or creating a program that best supports your needs. Our design team is comprised of knowledgeable designers, as well as pattern and sample makers. Your specific requirements are designed to perform and represent the image you want portrayed by your company. We also offer complete decorating for embroidery, screen-printing and custom stitching needs.

Embroidery

Full-service, fast turn-around with competitive pricing…

Check the benefits of embroidering with SAI:

Competitive Pricing – Thanks to our aggressive new embroidery pricing, SAI is competitive with most local contract embroiderers.

SAI is Your "One-Stop-Shop" – When you receive your embroidered goods from SAI, all you need to do is put them on the shelf. It's simple, easy, and you will save time and money. For example, your employees will no longer have to remove garments from poly-bags to send to the local embroiderer, and freight/transportation charges will also disappear when you no longer have to transport items to and from your local embroiderer.
Full-Service Embroidery Source – In addition to over 100 heads for embroidery and a dedicated full-time staff, we also offer tape digitizing at reasonable prices. Rush services are also available if you get in a time-sensitive bind.

Have it "Your Way" – SAI can ship your goods to you in a fan-fold, poly-bag or however you prefer.
No Set-Up Charges – There will be no set-up charges for your embroidery if you provide us with a viable embroidery disk.

Time is Money - When you consider the time, money and hassles that SAI can save you, we believe that you will utilize us for all your embroidery needs.

WORKING CONDITIONS / CODE OF CONDUCT POLICY

SAI is concerned about human dignity, and we have gone to great lengths to promote the well being of our workers, worldwide.

While factories throughout the world operate in different legal and cultural environments, our Working Conditions/Code of Conduct Policy sets forth the requirements that all factories must meet, as a condition of doing business with us. SAI will not support anything that compromises this Policy by infringing upon the human rights of any individual.

Domestic Working Conditions

Our factory in Star City, Arkansas, employs several hundred people year round. It is fully air-conditioned, highly automated, and employees work regular 8-hour shifts. SAI provides a full range of health benefits to our employees and their families, including medical and dental coverage, life and short-term disability insurance and a 401-K plan with employer contributions. In addition, we offer subsidized day care for our employees. SAI was the first employer in southeastern Arkansas to offer this helpful benefit. Employees also enjoy a liberal vacation and family leave policy. All of these are reasons why we have many dedicated and loyal employees who have been with the company since it relocated to Arkansas in 1985.

Off-Shore Code of Conduct

In regards to our off-shore production facilities, SAI requires that our locations must operate in full compliance with the laws of their respective countries and with all other applicable laws, rules and regulations. Additionally, our company complies with all labor, worker health, safety and environmental laws in each of our locations; does not discriminate based on characteristics, beliefs, race, gender, nationality, religion, age, maternity or marital status; employs only workers that meet the applicable minimum legal age requirement; pays at least the minimum legal wage or the local industry standard, whichever is greater; and treats all their workers with dignity and respect in a safe and healthy environment.