Salisbury

Bar codes mean profits for both the distributor and the customer By Janet R. Gross The industry is nearly 30 years old and its traditional products still account for a majority of sales, but new technology and applications are transforming it as the market grow rapidly. No, it's not forms, but bar codes. Bar codes represented an $8.3 billion North American market in 1997, according to Venture Development, with industry growth rates pegged at 13.5 percent annually through 2001. Distributors can profit in two ways--by selling bar-coded products and by offering supplies. Either way, knowledge of the customer's hardware, software and the application is essential. Rowan Business Forms,