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Thomas Register

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 "From Old School To Cutting Edge: The Transformation Of A B2B". Forbes. May 31, 2018.
  2. ↑ Rich Meislin (February 7, 2007). "The New York Times Newsroom Navigator". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Magers, Ron. "Libguides: Marketing Research: Home". libguides.wju.edu. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "ThomasNet.com: Sourcing Solution for the Marine Industry". MarineLink. June 2, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Brohan, Mark (January 19, 2026). "Thomas rolls out AI search and performance-based ads to speed industrial sourcing". Digital Commerce 360. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  6. ↑ admin (March 13, 2025). "ThomasNet Review". eCommerceUnboxed. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  7. ↑ Judith H. Dobrzynski (May 30, 1999). "ART/ARCHITECTURE; Representing America in a Language of Her Own". The New York Times. it's a registry of companies and manufacturers
  8. ↑ Kathleen Teltsh (April 21, 1991). "Style Makers; Pati Hillis, Corkscrew Maker". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2019. an encyclopedia of manufacturers
  9. ↑ "Thomas Publishing Company - Company Profile, Information". ReferenceForBusiness.com. Thomas Regional Directory Company Established, 1976-77
  10. ↑ "Thomasnet Industrial Search (Thomas Register)". directory of North American manufacturers; access by company name, product, service, or brand name.
  11. ↑ Womack, Ryan. "WORLD WIDE WEB REVIEWS Thomas Register". www.tandfonline.com. doi:10.1300/J109v04n02_06. Retrieved May 12, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. 1 2 "TOP STORY - Holst-Knudsen: ThomasNet Today". www.infotoday.com. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 "ThomasNet for Suppliers – A Close Review". Home Business Magazine. August 20, 2025. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Ep. 122 – Using Thomasnet.com to Find Customers and Suppliers with Tony Uphoff – Today's Machining World". todaysmachiningworld.com. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Best of Reference 2006: Flavors of Reference | The New York Public Library". www.nypl.org. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Best of the Web". www.nypl.org. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  17. ↑ Delaney, Laurel. "The Global Small Business Blog". Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  18. ↑ Bartolini, Andrew (April 4, 2017). "Technology Round-Up - April 4, 2017". CPO RISING. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Xometry Acquires Thomas for $300M in Cash and Stock". www.industryweek.com. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Thomas Releases Statement about Proposed Changes to Buy American Act". retrofit. August 2, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  21. ↑ Wakefield, Edward (June 29, 2022). "New digital products launched by Xometry". VoxelMatters - The heart of additive manufacturing. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  22. ↑ Harris, William (February 29, 2024). "Xometry Appoints James Miln as Chief Financial Officer". citybiz. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  23. ↑ Cronin, Kate (July 3, 2025). "New SBA portal to connect business owners with local suppliers". WGCU News | PBS & NPR for Southwest Florida. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  24. ↑ John Frank Weaver (2013). Robots Are People Too: How Siri, Google Car. ISBN 978-1440829468.
  25. ↑ "Thomasnet: Industrial sector confident of growth". Advertising Age. July 15, 2011.
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