Successful Distribution, One Byte At A Time

Technology has always been a staple of the welding and gases industry. The welding process as we know it today would not exist without the tireless experimentation of scientists and engineers over the last two centuries and beyond. Researchers continue to hone the instruments welders use in their craft, but now there are further technological innovations to consider: tools for the welding supply distributor.

Since the days of the earliest personal computers in the 1950s, all industries have sought ways to use technology to speed up the pace of business and become more profitable. The first generations of personal computers were too expensive and unwieldy for most people. However, in 1977, Apple introduced its Apple II computer, the first highly successful mass-produced personal computer. The industry further took off with the 1981 introduction of the IBM PC, the first computer ever to wear the “PC” label. Since that time, computers have become increasingly important to the welding supply industry. Software designed for welding supply distributors began to be marketed in the 1970s, and variations have evolved over the decades as operating systems—such as Unix/Linux and Windows—have waxed and waned in popularity. Today a number of vendors offer software programs to meet a variety of distributors' needs.

One of the most important technological revolutions in recent decades has been the explosive growth of the Internet as a communications tool. While the Internet has its roots in the 1969 introduction of ARPANET, a Pentagon-sponsored innovation that enabled computers to transfer data on dedicated high-speed transmission lines, its widespread popularity is much more recent. A turning point came in 1989 with Tim Berners-Lee's invention of the World Wide Web, designed as an Internet-based initiative for global information sharing. Berners-Lee also created the first Web client and server in 1990, and created the first Web page in 1991. By 1993, the Internet was growing at a rate of 20 percent per month. Many distributors and suppliers began investing in Web site development in the late 1990s, and today a user-friendly Web site is a must for technologically savvy businesses. According to a 2005 report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 70 million American adults were logging onto the Internet every day by the end of 2004 for e-mail, news...and information about gases and welding supplies.

Distributors and suppliers have benefited from other recent advances in technology as well. The 1996 creation of XML (Extensible Markup Language) resonates through the industry today, allowing distributors to communicate more rapidly with suppliers and customers. Wireless Internet technology came to the fore in the late 1990s, giving rise to mobile devices such as PDAs, now commonly used by salespeople. Cellular phones also are staples of today's business climate. The technology behind cellular phones began in 1947, and the first public telephone call placed on a portable cellular phone took place in 1973. However, it is only in the last decade that cellular phone usage has exploded in convenience and popularity.

Another industry hot topic remains bar code scanning. Bar coding was pioneered in 1948 as a means of automatically reading product information at the grocery checkout, though the system was not commercialized until 1966. The first attempt at industrial application of bar coding came in the late 1950s, but the system didn't truly take off for industrial applications until 1981, when the United States Department of Defense adopted the use of Code 39 for marking all products sold to the U.S. military. Today, many suppliers use bar coding on their products, and a significant percentage of distributors utilize bar code scanning technology in their distributorships.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology also has found a home in the welding and gases industry as a means of tracking cylinders. The technology first was used during World War II when the British used a transponder to distinguish between their own returning aircraft and those of the enemy. RFID “tagging” of equipment and personnel grew in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s amid growing concern about the need for security and safety of nuclear materials. The technology has come to the forefront in recent years as Wal-Mart and other “big box” stores have mandated RFID tagging of hardgoods. However, that aspect of RFID remains in limited use in the welding and gases industry.

Technological innovation continues to emerge at an unprecedented pace. But based on their history, GAWDA members will be ready to take advantage of the myriad opportunities the technology of the future will provide.