IndustryWeek recently released its annual IW 1000 report ranking the top 1000 manufacturing companies around the world. According to its findings, last year the IW 1000 produced a combined $9 trillion in revenues from continuing operations, overshadowing the GDPs of Japan, Germany, and the UK put together, and approaching the U.S.' GDP of $9.9 trillion.

The industries that generated the highest revenues are, in order: petroleum/coal products, motor vehicles and parts, electronics/electrical equipment, food, chemicals, computer/office equipment, metals, pharmaceuticals, industrial equipment, and publishing. 728 manufacturers fall into one of these ten industries, accounting for $7.3 trillion of the entire IW 1000's 9.2 trillion. The biggest revenue producers were not necessarily those with the greatest profit margins.

The top U.S. manufacturers, by revenue, are:
1. Exxon Mobil Corp.
2. General Motors Corp.
3. Ford Motor Co.
4. General Electric Co.
5. IBM Corp.
6. Verizon Communications Inc.
7. Philip Morris Cos. Inc.
8. Boeing Co.
9. Texaco Inc.
10. Hewlett-Packard Co.

Some other interesting statistics from the report:

• 105 of the manufacturers listed were new to this year's list.

• About 45% of these newcomers have their headquarters in the United States.

• 359 of the thousand are U.S.-based.

• 245 are headquartered in Japan.

• 56 are in the UK.

• 49 are Germany-based.

• 43 are in France.

• 34 are in Canada.

• 24 are in South Korea.

• Italy and the Netherlands each have 18.

• Switzerland and Australia each have 15.

Source: Manufacturing's Might
Peter Strozniak
Industry Week, June 11, 2001
http://www.industryweek.com/CurrentArticles/asp/articles.asp?ArticleID=1062