Thomas has been a longtime resource for manufacturers, and its Thomas Register listing myriad manufacturers and suppliers of parts, components and services was a staple on the desk of every purchasing agent. Coming into the 21st century, Thomas transitioned into ThomasNet.com.
The ThomasNet.com Corporate Edition for Wal-Mart is designed to give vendors "options to find the quality products and services they need to be competitive," said Michelle Gloeckler, EVP Consumables & US Manufacturing Lead at Wal-Mart. "This goes a long way in creating business opportunities in the United States that drive job growth within the manufacturing industry."
The ThomasNet.com Corporate Edition for Wal-Mart lists more 500,000 U.S. manufacturers of products, components and custom services. It includes the following features:
- My Approved Suppliers, where companies can add their approved supplier list to the platform so they can easily see when an existing vendor might meet the need for a different product;
- Single-Send RFI, which allows users to invite an unlimited number of suppliers to reply to a single request for information, quote or proposal;
- RFI Follow Up, in which ThomasNet will follow up with suppliers to determine disposition of an RFI and help expedite a response;
- Collaboration Tools that allow users to share saved supplier information and shortlists with others in their company.
"As a proud supporter of U.S. manufacturing for over 100 years, we were honored when Wal-Mart asked us to join its domestic manufacturing initiative," said Tom Greco, Vice President of ThomasNet. "Our corporate edition was designed exclusively for Wal-Mart to offer suppliers immediate access to over a half-million U.S. manufacturers of products, components and custom services."
