How SCRAM Systems is using cutting-edge technology to decrease alcohol misuse

There is one fundamental truth surrounding alcohol that cannot be ignored: the substance significantly impacts many aspects of society, often creating negative consequences for those drinking and those around them. From the home environment to the criminal justice system, alcohol alters the course of lives sometimes in catastrophic ways.

In the UK, for instance, deaths caused by drink driving are at an eight-year high, and domestic abuse – which is often motivated by drinking – is at the highest level it has been in over five years. Fortunately, with Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM), companies can provide reliable technology to help improve lives by (re)enforcing accountability and compliance with regards to alcohol abstinence.

One of those companies is SCRAM Systems, which, under its former name of Alcohol Monitoring Systems (AMS), launched the first continuous alcohol monitoring bracelet in 2003. Originally founded in 1997, the company has continued to evolve and grow in size and scale, carving out a strong reputation for quality and reliability across its range of electronic monitoring devices and software solutions.

Since the 2003 launch, SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring® (SCRAM CAM®) has gone on to become the most widely used and trusted transdermal alcohol monitoring device in the world. Based on that glowing success – and in response to evolving requests from an increasing customer base and the challenging needs of the criminal justice market – SCRAM Systems released its full suite of monitoring hardware in 2013 and decided to rebrand under the new name.

The comprehensive range of devices includes SCRAM GPS® (GPS location monitoring), SCRAM House Arrest® (location/curfew monitoring), and SCRAM Remote Breath® Pro (breath alcohol monitoring). Year-on-year, SCRAM Systems continues to improve and expand its offerings.

“We provide the most comprehensive continuum of products and services on the market,” begins John Hennessey, COO at SCRAM Systems. “No other company offers the hardware and software solutions that we provide to our customers. Indeed, we work closely with our clients to ensure our products and software meet their needs.

“Our solutions help agencies save time and money as well as decrease recidivism rates,” he adds. “All of this serves to enhance public safety. We also operate as part of the largest service partner network in our industry: more than 160 cover every part of the country. Having local service partners located in our customers’ backyard gives us a huge advantage against our competition.”

Innovation and investment
But it is not just SCRAM Systems’ products that act as a key differentiator for the business. John explains in more detail: “Our employees make SCRAM Systems the company it is. We have the greatest customer service along with the most dedicated and senior employees; this has helped us become the fastest growing company in our industry. Culture is something we pride ourselves on; we are like a family, and we empower employees to progress in their careers. It is important to have succession and career paths for all and we do this at scale.

“Our Human Resources department continually conducts surveys to improve our culture,” he continues. “We also hold monthly town hall meetings with the entire company. In the meetings, employees are encouraged to ask questions and address concerns. We officially recognize staff during these meetings; it is important to have open transparency and communication to cultivate a healthy company culture.”

In total, SCRAM has monitored almost one million clients – 99.1 percent of those monitored days are, thankfully, Sober Days (24-hour period in which a monitored individual has no confirmed consumption of alcohol or attempt to tamper or circumvent testing to mask the consumption of alcohol). This is made even more impressive when we consider the fact that the company has performed over 4 billion alcohol tests with the SCRAM CAM device alone.

As a company, SCRAM is committed to continuing its tradition of re-engineering operations to streamline processes, enhance productivity, and improve outcomes through constant innovation and investment to research and design.

With the addition of new software technologies, such as SCRAM Nexus® Case, SCRAM TouchPoint®, and SCRAM Ally® Victim Notification to the company’s vast suite of hardware products, the company prides itself on offering its clients the most comprehensive solution portfolio on the market.

Effective solutions
SCRAM Systems has offices in Littleton, Colorado; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Cincinnati, Ohio. Furthermore, a dedicated team across corporate facilities, international borders (UK and New Zealand), and field offices throughout the US is on hand to service their customers.

“We are – and always will be – a company that is committed to building solutions that make a difference,” expounds Toby Leifer, SCRAM’s Chief Manufacturing and Supply Chain Officer. “Our purpose is to change lives, reunite families, and make our communities safer with new, advanced technology and world-class service.

“To make sure we fulfil that commitment, we have three main manufacturing centers specializing in different builds across our product suite,” he elaborates. “Our Littleton, Colorado facility, for instance, focuses on the production of SCRAM CAM, SCRAM GPS, SCRAM House Arrest, and SCRAM Remote Breath Pro units. Whereas the Cincinnati, Ohio facility produces our entire LMG Holdings Ignition Interlock Device (IID) solution suite, including the LifeSafer and Guardian handsets, as well as car systems relays and IID camera systems.

“In Raleigh, North Carolina, moreover, our manufacturing focus is on fuel cell development and production, along with acting as our main headquarters and distribution center for our PAS International Systems solutions,” he continues. “We emphasize cross-functional advice and support in all our manufacturing areas, as well as the standardization of best practices across each site. This has involved alignment of our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Material Requirements Planning (MRP) systems, while also taking lessons learned about process improvement, training, automation, and implementation across our manufacturing and operations enterprise.”

Ambitious growth
SCRAM Systems has a company mindset of continuous improvement: automation; production line robotics; visible, user-friendly analytic dashboards to pinpoint and resolve production and product throughput pinch points. All these feed into ways the company is looking towards the future of manufacturing.

Recently, SCRAM Systems merged with LMG Holdings, which not only doubled the company’s size, now employing close to 800 staff, but also brought its future ambitions to the realm of reality. “As a company, we saw significant growth in 2022, so we are very excited about the upcoming year,” notes John. “Poland is now looking to conduct a national rollout of our product following a successful trial earlier this year.

“The Ministry of Justice in the UK, moreover, started a national rollout of our product in 2021, with over 3000 users wearing the bracelet to date,” he concludes. “We currently have business in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Poland, and the Netherlands; however, we want to continue growing in the US and around the world. Within the next five years, I would like to see SCRAM Systems become the largest electronic monitoring provider in the world.”
www.scramsystems.com