Company:Thomas Register

From HandWiki
Thomasnet
FormerlyThomas' Register of American Manufacturers
TypeSubsidiary
PredecessorThomasRegister.com
Founded1898; 128 years ago (1898)
FounderHarvey Mark Thomas
Headquarters
New York City, New York
,
United States[1]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Randy Altschuler, CEO
ProductsOnline marketplace
ParentXometry (2021-present)
Thomas Publishing (1898-2021)
Websitewww.thomasnet.com

Thomas and Thomasnet, formerly Thomas' Register of American Manufacturers,[2] is an online B2B procurement platform for supplier and product sourcing in the U.S. and Canada.[1][3][4] Its Thomas Network hosts over 500,000[5] vetted industrial product suppliers, distributors, manufacturers and service companies.[6]

Initially published in 1898, as Hardware and Kindred Trades,[7] The Thomas' Register of American Manufacturers began publishing in 1914,[4] and became known as the Thomas Register, the Thomas Registry, and the "Big Green Books".[3][4] The company moved its database solely online in 2006, continuing as Thomasnet.com. It was acquired by Xometry in 2021.

History

The books were first published in 1898[1] by Harvey Mark Thomas, as Hardware and Kindred Trades. In its heyday, Thomas' Register of American Manufacturers was a 34-volume buying guide of detailed sourcing information on industrial products and service from thousands of manufacturers.[8]

The Thomas Regional Directory Company began as a division of Thomas Publishing Company in 1976.[9] Thomas Regional Industrial Buying Guides[10] provided information, in print and on CD-ROM, on local OEMs, distributors, MRO services and other custom manufacturers in 19 regional editions, covering much of the U.S. It began offering Dialog access in 1984, and online access in 1995,[11] as ThomasRegister.com.[12]

Its 100th and final print edition was published in 2006, with its proprietary database moved fully online as Thomasnet.com,[3] published and operated by Thomas Publishing subsidiary Thomas Industrial Network.[12] The Thomasnet network expanded, adding online catalogs, CAD drawings,[3] research, and news and analytics, becoming the largest industrial sourcing platform.[13][14]

In April 2006, the New York Public Library (NYPL) named Thomasnet.com as one of its 25 Best of Reference sources for the reference librarian.[15] It remains listed among the NYPL's "Best of the Web" companies for industry information.[16]

Since 2010, the company has been a strategic partner of GlobalTrade.net, a marketplace for international trade service providers.[17] In 2017, it partnered with Dun & Bradstreet, developing Supplier Evaluation & Risk Reports to improve supplier risk assessments in procurement.[18]

In May 2021, the Thomasnet platform had over 500,000 suppliers and 1.3 million active registered users.[14] That December, Thomas was acquired by Xometry,[19] which operates the Thomasnet online Thomas Network; Thomas Marketing; and a news and analysis division, Thomas Insights.[13][20]

A number of Xometry Marketplace features were integrated into the Thomasnet.com platform in 2022, including its instant quoting engine and Workcenter.[21] By 2024, the company was digitizing and introducing AI-powered searching.[22]

The Thomasnet International Organization for Standardization (ISO) American manufacturers database is included in the "Made in America Manufacturing Initiative" searchable portal launched by the Small Business Administration in 2025.[23] In 2026, it launched AI-driven "smart search" and advertising tools to acelerate the industrial buying process.[5]

Research

Thomasnet publishes industry research, white papers, a Thomas Insights daily newsletter, the Thomas Industry Update, and a weekly Thomas Index Report.[13] In 2000, Thomasnet News released Industry Market Trends (IMT), its first journal.[24] The IMT published editorials, interviews, and long-form journalism on issues ranging from career skills, developments in the industry, and discussions with leading experts. IMT Green & Clean was launched in response to the growing interest in green technology. In 2011, the IMT Machining Journal was launched followed by the IMT Fluid & Gas Flow Journal, the IMT Career Journal, and the IMT Procurement Journal. From 2010, it issued an annual Industry Market Barometer (IMB) survey.[25]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "From Old School To Cutting Edge: The Transformation Of A B2B". Forbes. May 31, 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonysilber/2018/05/31/from-old-school-to-cutting-edge-the-transformation-of-a-b2b-directory-company. 
  2. ↑ Rich Meislin (February 7, 2007). "The New York Times Newsroom Navigator". The New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/technology/navigator.html?_r. Retrieved July 3, 2019. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Magers, Ron. "Libguides: Marketing Research: Home" (in en). https://libguides.wju.edu/c.php?g=819114&p=5845761. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "ThomasNet.com: Sourcing Solution for the Marine Industry" (in en). 2015-06-02. https://www.marinelink.com/news/thomasnetcom-sourcing392323. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Brohan, Mark (2026-01-19). "Thomas rolls out AI search and performance-based ads to speed industrial sourcing" (in en-US). https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/01/19/thomas-ai-search-performance-based-ads-industrial-sourcing/. 
  6. ↑ admin (2025-03-13). "ThomasNet Review" (in en-US). https://www.ecommerceunboxed.com/thomasnet-review/. 
  7. ↑ Judith H. Dobrzynski (May 30, 1999). "ART/ARCHITECTURE; Representing America in a Language of Her Own". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/30/arts/art-architecture-representing-america-in-a-language-of-her-own.html. "it's a registry of companies and manufacturers" 
  8. ↑ Kathleen Teltsh (April 21, 1991). "Style Makers; Pati Hillis, Corkscrew Maker". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/21/style/style-makers-pati-hillis-corkscrew-maker.html. Retrieved July 3, 2019. "an encyclopedia of manufacturers" 
  9. ↑ "Thomas Publishing Company - Company Profile, Information". https://www.reference4business.com/history2/9/Thomas-Publishing-Company.html. "Thomas Regional Directory Company Established, 1976-77" 
  10. ↑ "Thomasnet Industrial Search (Thomas Register)". https://libraries.uky.edu/record.php?lir_id=440. "directory of North American manufacturers; access by company name, product, service, or brand name." 
  11. ↑ Womack, Ryan. "WORLD WIDE WEB REVIEWS Thomas Register". doi:10.1300/J109v04n02_06. https://www.tandfonline.com/action/cookieAbsent. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "TOP STORY - Holst-Knudsen: ThomasNet Today". https://www.infotoday.com/it/jul14/Griffin--Holst-Knudsen--ThomasNet-Today.shtml. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "ThomasNet for Suppliers – A Close Review" (in en-US). 2025-08-20. https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/business-spotlights/thomasnet-suppliers-close-review/. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Ep. 122 – Using Thomasnet.com to Find Customers and Suppliers with Tony Uphoff – Today’s Machining World". https://todaysmachiningworld.com/thomasnet-suppliers-tony-uphoff/. 
  15. ↑ "Best of Reference 2006: Flavors of Reference | The New York Public Library" (in en). http://www.nypl.org/branch/books/index2.cfm?ListID=300. 
  16. ↑ "Best of the Web". https://www.nypl.org/weblinks/1382. 
  17. ↑ Delaney, Laurel. "The Global Small Business Blog". https://www.globalsmallbusinessblog.com/2010/12/. 
  18. ↑ Bartolini, Andrew (2017-04-04). "Technology Round-Up - April 4, 2017". https://cporising.com/2017/04/04/technology-round-up-april-4-2017/. 
  19. ↑ "Xometry Acquires Thomas for $300M in Cash and Stock". https://www.industryweek.com/supply-chain/article/21183282/xometry-acquires-thomas-for-300m-in-cash-and-stock. 
  20. ↑ "Thomas Releases Statement about Proposed Changes to Buy American Act" (in en-US). 2021-08-02. https://retrofitmagazine.com/thomas-releases-statement-about-proposed-changes-to-buy-american-act/. 
  21. ↑ Wakefield, Edward (2022-06-29). "New digital products launched by Xometry" (in en-US). https://www.voxelmatters.com/new-digital-products-launched-by-xometry/. 
  22. ↑ Harris, William (2024-02-29). "Xometry Appoints James Miln as Chief Financial Officer" (in en-US). https://www.citybiz.co/article/526359/xometry-appoints-james-miln-as-chief-financial-officer/. 
  23. ↑ Cronin, Kate (2025-07-03). "New SBA portal to connect business owners with local suppliers" (in en). https://www.wgcu.org/section/business/2025-07-03/new-sba-portal-to-connect-business-owners-with-local-suppliers. 
  24. ↑ John Frank Weaver (2013). Robots Are People Too: How Siri, Google Car. ISBN 978-1440829468. https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1440829462. 
  25. ↑ "Thomasnet: Industrial sector confident of growth". Advertising Age. July 15, 2011. https://adage.com/article/btob/thomasnet-industrial-sector-confident-growth/285221. 



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