Good day to all, For those of you who are not already familiar with
the Thomas Register it is a web site that is a great tool and
materials resource. The text that follows has been adapted from the
web sites FAQ section. FYI, I have no association with the site other
than as a registered member (registration is free). I hope you find
this site of value. B Goodman Van. BC
Thomas Register
There is in excess of 150,000 companies and 135,000 brand names to be
found in the Thomas Register on the Internet, in print and on CD-ROM.
The companies and products listed includes both American and Canadian
suppliers.
Products and companies are classified under specific “product
headings” which makes it easy for users to find “who makes what” and
“where to get it.” For example, if you were to search under the
product category “nails,” you would be given a list of “Product
Headings” to help you narrow down what type of nails you are looking
for, such as, “nails: collated,” “nails: galvanised” or “nails:
drywall” thus making it easy to find exactly the product you require.
All together, Thomas Register contains 63,669 product headings! In
addition, there is an Online Catalogue section which contains
detailed about a company’s products or services. These
online catalogues are developed specifically for Thomas Register
users so that they may obtain as much product and company information
as possible. There are currently 7,782 online supplier catalogues and
web links on Thomas Register on the Internet.
One of the features of the site is the “Literature by Fax” service.
This is a free service where users request and receive specific
regarding a company, product or service faxed to them
within minutes. We note if fax is available at the search
results screen and at the company results page.
In addition there is the “Can’t Find It Information Centre,” which is
available to all Thomas Register members who are unable to locate the
exact product/service or company they need. The “Can’t
Find It?” Service can be found at the bottom of any company search
results page. The Information Centre will respond to your inquiry by
e-mail, fax, or mail depending on the you have provided.
Finally you may use the “Order Online” feature. This is Thomas
Register’s electronic commerce service. Thomas Register users can
access a supplier’s line item catalogue with pictures and ordering
and send POs directly to the company. Currently there
are over 400,000 (and growing) unique products that can be purchased
through Order Online. Products as varied as pipe adapters, trash
cans, halogen lamps and wire assemblies all can be purchased online!
PS: The Canadian equivalent to the Thomas Register is the Frasers
Canadian Trade Directory which may be found at http://www.frasers.com