Thomasnet.Com Gets Facelift With New Time-Saving Features For Purchasers And Product Specifiers In Industry
(July 21, 2008 - NEW YORK, NY) - Buyers and engineers who want to find copper wire or spare parts for a lathe, or access a custom CAD drawing all by lunchtime have a faster and more efficient resource than ever before, as ThomasNet rolls out new features that enhance its site, ThomasNet.com.
The additions to the site are very timely. In the current economic environment, purchasers and specifiers of industrial parts, products and services are more time-squeezed due to downsizing and increased bottom-line pressures. New features to the site are aimed at helping these professionals save time, increase productivity and make more informed supplier selections, based on research that shows purchasers and engineers now put a greater premium on quick and easy access to information.
A new ThomasNet.com homepage meets this need by bringing together a wide range of essential content in a single, intuitive interface. Now, with one consolidated view, users can access the Internet's most widely used database of industrial suppliers, in addition to white papers, community forums for knowledge sharing, and the Web's largest collection of industrial news. `
From a single search box, users can search over 607,000 industrial suppliers, indexed by 70,000 product and service categories, and have access to thousands of industrial product catalogs and over 20 million CAD drawings. ThomasNet.com now also offers a new and quickly growing library of over 800 white papers and case studies provided by thought leaders in manufacturing on product applications, processes and technologies.
"Users have spoken and we've listened," said Brad Mehl, Vice President, ThomasNet.com. "We've taken their feedback and examined their workflow. Based on that, we have added key functionality they need to conduct business more quickly and efficiently. These improvements create an even stronger connection between the qualified buyers who rely on ThomasNet.com and the sellers who are actively seeking them out."
Other new time-saving features and functionality include:
-The ability to add or remove search criteria as users see fit. This provides more robust narrowing or expansion of searches-i.e., the ability to view only suppliers with online product catalogs, CAD drawings or both, or ones that meet additional criteria such as ISO certifications.
-Greater personalization through saved searches. Registered users can save individual suppliers or short lists of multiple suppliers where they can view selected companies side by side, eliminating unnecessary time needed to re-run searches. Upon returning to ThomasNet.com, their saved suppliers and short lists are readily viewable in a personalized section of their homepage.
-Improved local searching, particularly key in light of rising fuel costs, and the increased expense of moving freight across longer distances. ThomasNet.com users seeking local manufacturers, distributors and service providers now enjoy a prominent choice of viewing suppliers located in specific areas or expanding their geographic area.
-Free access to Request for Information/Proposal/Quote (RFx) and Reverse Auction Tools to increase the speed and efficiency of the procurement process. These tools eliminate the need for purchasers to sort through and manage supplier responses to quotes via disparate emails and faxes. Instead of the usual information barrage - a major complaint of purchasing professionals - users can centrally manage these communications and share them with colleagues. Importantly, these free tools can be immediately incorporated into their workflow through an easy interface that requires no training. The tools are available for ThomasNet users through an exclusive partnership with Source One Management Services, LLC, a leading procurement service provider.
-A new Tools and Gadgets Center filled with useful resources provides:
oA feature-rich toolbar specifically developed for the manufacturing community, which gives users the option of searching ThomasNet.com or general search engines. This ThomasNet toolbar offers 19 different features, including the ability to view additional supplier information with one click, when visiting the Website of a company in ThomasNet's comprehensive database.
oFor Google toolbar users, ThomasNet offers a "ThomasNet Express" button that can be added to the Google toolbar, which conveniently searches ThomasNet.com.
iGoogle integration. This utility enables users to add a ThomasNet search box to their personalized homepages developed via iGoogle.
oA 10-in-1 conversion calculator (for Microsoft Vista users), which enables engineers to do quick calculations of popular engineering formulas.
About ThomasNetSM
ThomasNet (ThomasNet.com) is the leading online destination connecting industrial sellers and buyers worldwide. Buyers from Fortune 500 companies, the government, the military and more depend on ThomasNet to search for and purchase the products and services they need. ThomasNet provides access to over 607,000 industrial companies, indexed by 70,000 product and service categories, and featuring over 20 million CAD drawings that help buyers find products to meet their specifications. Industrial manufacturers and service companies are successfully using ThomasNet to grow their businesses, discover new markets, develop new customers, and uncover new revenue sources. Drawing from the company's experience in the industrial market and ongoing research on buyers' and sellers' needs, ThomasNet has helped thousands of clients create websites that incorporate online catalogs, CAD drawings, and e-commerce capabilities.
