Thousands of dollars saved through Tab-on-Demand program

Who would have thought that a thin tab of reflective foil slightly larger than a postage stamp could save the state more than $200,000 a year and garner national recognition?

That’s what happened when ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division switched to a “Tab on Demand” system of license plate registration stickers.

The project, one of the biggest streamlining efforts MVD has undertaken recently, provides customers an improved license plate tab and saves ADOT time and money in production and distribution. Vehicle owners now receive just one tab that shows the month and year of expiration printed on it, and matched to the license plate. The old system had separate tabs for the month and year and did not include the plate number.

Tabs are printed on demand at the MVD field offices, authorized third-party offices or in the ADOT central mailroom. The tab is embedded into the registration form and then delivered to customers. Gone are the separate packets with the registration tab, stapled to the paperwork.

Planning began in 2002 and tabs were first distributed in 2007. The gradual rollout was completed early this year. Large, commercial customers who print dozens of registrations at one time were the last to make the switch.

Tab on Demand saves more than $200,000 a year in materials and labor. “Since the tabs and forms are printed and processed as they are needed, it isn’t necessary to store and inventory hundreds of thousands of tabs and registration documents,” said Tab on Demand Team Leader Bill Beckett. “There used to be a contract with Arizona Correctional Industries to staple the tabs onto registration forms and handle other processing activities. Now everything is automated.”

Mailroom Supervisor Jason Pino appreciates the streamlined Tab on Demand process. “Renewals from online applicants and customers who renew by mail are electronically sent to us. We’re able to process them very quickly and efficiently. That’s why people who renew online using ServiceArizona often get their registration and tab within a day or two."

The Tab on Demand technology has also been used for other purposes. The new Off-Highway Vehicle decals, required since the beginning of the year for an estimated 425,000 vehicles, are also printed as needed.

The innovative system earned MVD the 2009 International Award for Customer Service Excellence presented by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.