more detail on Rick Bushnell

Rick Bushnell, in 1995, was the recipient of the Dick Dilling Award. It is the highest award given by the Automatic Identification Manufacturers (AIM), the worldwide trade association of the automatic data collection (AIDC) industry founded in 1974. The award is presented to executives, scientists, and engineers in recognition of outstanding contributions that have helped advance ADC technology and use during their career.

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Throughout his career in using bar code and other AIDC technologies to solve business problems, the theme of excellence through understanding has been apparent. Rick has written several books, thousands of articles, and given hundreds of lectures to individuals doing design work or teaching others. Rick has also been dedicated to helping companies, institutions, and industries both gather and disseminate information that will help anyone using bar code and other AIDC technologies. Rick has been interviewed on CBS Nightly News, ABC (Australian Broadcast Company) and by Investors Business Daily, Industry Week Magazine, PC Week, Nation's Business Magazine, and OMNI Magazine and his bar code hotline was the subject of an article in the Wall Street Journal.

This dedication to education led Mr. Bushnell to be selected to membership in the College Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE). With that exposure, he went on to help AIM develop the teacher’s institute now held each year at Ohio University. Based on contacts made while serving his tenure at CICMHE, he has lectured for Georgia Tech., Texas Tech., Clemson, N.C. State, University of South Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio University, and University of Louisville, among others.

Rick has worked closely in the formative years with the Uniform Code Council, AIAG, HIBCC and LOGMARS. Many well known companies, including Xerox, IBM, DuPont, McDonald’s, UPS, Pratt - Witney (United Technologies), and VW have employed systems of his design. Rick and his staff have spearheaded bar code projects for such industries and organizations as Bell Communications Research, American Gas Association, and the American Supply Association. Rick and his staff have spearheaded bar code projects for such industries and organizations as Bell Communications Research, American Gas Association, American Supply Association and trade associations representing Craft and Hobby, Paper, Pet and Industrial supplies.

Rick Bushnell’s career activities include:

1970 –– While working at 3M, he became involved in Automatic Identification of Railroad Cars (the forerunner of the ADC applications in use today).

1974 –– Accepts a position at Accu-Sort Systems Inc. responsible for all sales and marketing worldwide. His job was to bring broad scale automatic identification products to the industrial market. Accu-Sort is now the recognized leader in high end bar code based material handling systems.

1979 –– Accepts Chairmanship of AIM with a mission to expand the awareness and use of ADC.

Bar code standards in use at that time were scanner specific. Rick developed the first industry wide "standards" (then called Uniform Symbol Descriptions). This opened many markets that would not buy "proprietary products."

Began the development of the first all industry ADC symposium (later to become Scan-Tech).

Was selected for membership in the College Industry Council for Material Handling Education.

Received an award for the highest number of leads ever generated by an ad in Industrial Engineering Magazine. The ad promoted the use of ADC.

1981 - 1985 –– While at SPS Technologies with sales and application engineering responsibility for North America, he developed the core concepts used throughout industry today when integrating bar code and other ADC technologies into large scale material handling projects.

The then new ideas were instrumental in SPS being awarded contracts by the early entrants into flexible manufacturing systems including Xerox, IBM, and Pratt-Witney.

1985 –– Founded Bushnell Consulting Group and began work with vertical trade associations to develop standards, business concepts and educational activities to help trading partners in a distribution channel use standard numbers, bar code and EDI to reduce non-value added costs (the beginning of what later would be called "Quick Response" and "Efficient Channel Integration").

1986 –– Was selected to be the Administrator of the Industry Bar Code Alliance (IBCA). This organization was the first to recognize the need for an inter-industry effort to avoid conflicting bar code standards for non-retail use.

1986 –– Authors Getting Started With Bar Codes ... A Systematic Guide (the first and only book of its kind explaining precisely how to implement a bar code based project).

1990 –– At the request of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), authors a book for their members, Bar Coding for the Wholesaler-Distributor: How to Reduce Costs and Improve Customer Service.

1991 –– Recognizing the growing need for the skills necessary to adopt ADC, including education, design, training and research, he co-founded Quad II (the consulting firm for which he serves as President).

1992 –– Co-authors EDI and Bar Code for Managers, which discusses the integration of the two technologies, bar code and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

1993 - 1994 –– Quad II develops the first ADC toll-free Answer Desk.

Develops the first Industry Guide to Periodic Literature (more than 1,000 articles found in the leading trade publications).

Provides the first Fax-On-Demand service to answer general questions on ADC automatically.

1994 –– Establishes the first vendor independent support group, Insight, for people using or planning to use bar code and other ADC technologies.

1995 –– Put in place the first Internet Web Site –– www.ISIT.com –– dedicated to providing interactive information and planning aids for defining, designing, and implementing bar code and ADC based systems.

1995 –– Is awarded the Dick Dilling Award, the highest award given in the ADC industry.

1997 –– Authors the Bar Code Implementation Guide: Using Bar Codes in Distribution.

1998 –– Helps establish InsightU with Dr. James Fales of Ohio University. InsightU is a "university" on the Internet dealing with supply chain technology.

1998 –– Publishes The One Series video tapes on bar coding and e-Commerce.

1998 –– Authors the 5th edition of Getting Started with Bar Codes: A Systematic Guide.

1999 –– Publishes the Guide to Periodical Literature for AIDC at the Quad II Web Site.

1999 –– Sponsors the AIDC Executive Marketing Summit, providing an event where over 90 executives whose companies capture, track, transfer and use information can meet to discuss ways to improve the industry to meet user demands.

2001 – Develops Industry Standard Matrix for Hobby Industry of America (HIA) The fist integrated guidelines in any supply chain. The matrix provides clear direction for product identification labeling, shipment and carton labeling, data communications and logistic standards.

2004 – Elected Vice president of AIDC 100. The venerated organization comprising inventors, engineers, system designers, educators and visionaries in the supply chain and automatic data capture industry.

2005 - Selected by the pet industry (PIDA, APPA, WWPIA) to modernize its supply chain labeling and communications standards.

2006 - Authors: Leveraging Technology: Really Creative Thinking published in the Market Intelligence Review distributed in the school, home and business products supply chain. This was the first article to explain the importance of the supply chain information “network” and the value of linking product identification (via bar code or RFID) to .NET related technologies. This integration enables all levels of the supply chain to communicate seamlessly regardless of the level of internal system sophistication.

2007 – Produced and delivered Internet/ telephone conferences dealing with Internet related supply chain efficiencies based on standard records to the Paper, Pet and Craft/Hobby industries.