The Sit and Shop was introduced to the market in 1984, long before ADA was enacted. It provides easy access and a comfortable shopping experience for millions of shoppers everyday who have difficulty or are unable to walk the length of a modern retail store. Sit and Shop remains the #1 selling manual sit down shopping cart today.
With two successful products under his belt, Ray’s new company, ADCO Industries, had taken its first steps and the direction was set as developers, manufacturers and of proprietary products and customer solutions. Ray brought together a uniquely qualified team to help him in this quest, many of whom are still with ADCO today.
In addition to product innovation, Ray rode the wave of the retail transformation of the 80s and 90s and also started a printing operation at ADCO. The Flexographic Printing Division quickly became an industry leader, providing superior printing services to the retail industry.
Combining proprietary techniques with the latest in printing processes, the printing division of ADCO developed the first-ever technology to successfully use water-based ink to print on plastic, dramatically reducing the cost. Ideal for POP display tags and other in-store promotional items, these custom branded retail tags increased in-store sales up to 30%.
In the years that followed, numerous other breakthrough products were introduced at ADCO, including the next generation of box cutters, the Easy-Cut line. Continuing Ray’s quest, the patented technology inside this safety knife virtually eliminates accidents and prevents damage to product inside a box.
A new line of Mini-Mule Vault Dollies and Vault Shelving for the convenience store trade was rolled out, changing the way cooler vault products are stored. The Vault Dolly system has been credited with reducing back injuries by 50%, and ensuring health sanitation standards are met by removing products off the floor.
