Finding the right suppliers is one of the most important steps in procurement, if not the most important.

For many years, procurement professionals have turned to Thomasnet for this task.

Thomasnet is a supplier discovery platform providing information on more than 500,000 North American suppliers.

However, did you know there are some powerful alternatives available?

Some of these alternatives are particularly useful if you want to expand to global procurement or simply get more meaningful data on suppliers before deciding to work with them.

Today, we will go through some of the options, showing you why these tools might be a better fit for your needs.

Veridion

When it comes to supplier databases, few tools can match Veridion. 

Unlike Thomasnet, which focuses on North American suppliers, Veridion covers the globe. It offers fresh and weekly updated information on over 115 million companies in 246 countries.

Source: Veridion on YouTube

Veridion uses advanced machine learning models to scrap the internet (supplier websites, online marketplaces, news, social media platforms, and more) and turns unstructured data into a structured, weekly-updated database of company information.

Source: Veridion

This resource also provides more comprehensive data than Thomasnet. 

Thomasnet gives you information on a supplier’s size, annual sales, history, product details, diversity, and certifications. 

Veridion includes all this and more.

You also get financial stability data, compliance records, and data on sustainability and ESG factors, all the way down to specific data on atmospheric contamination, carbon footprint, illegal deforestation, corrupt transactions, and wage disparity.

Below, you can see a small excerpt from Veridion’s data points:

Source: Veridion

Need a specific piece of information? Veridion can find custom data points just for you.

How can you access this data?

Veridion offers API access. This means you can integrate Veridion’s search APIs into your existing systems and automate data retrieval, saving you time and effort.

In fact, Veridion’s query typically lasts under 5 seconds!

You enter criteria for your products or suppliers, and Veridion’s APIs provide a list of matching suppliers who fulfill the criteria, share your ESG values, and pose the fewest risks.

Take a quick look at what the search looks like in the video below:

Source: Veridion on YouTube

When you get these first results, you can dive deeper into potential supplier information and discover the best match way faster than you would if you manually search for suppliers.

Check below just how much faster it is:

Source: Veridion

While Thomasnet offers free access, Veridion’s advanced capabilities come at a cost. 

But for the depth of data and global reach it provides, many find it a worthy investment.

So, if you are looking for a powerful, fast, and accurate source for all your supplier data needs, Veridion definitively takes the lead over Thomasnet.

If you’re interested in seeing a sample of our data, you can download it here. 

Metoree

Metoree is a solid alternative to Thomasnet, especially for those in the industrial and technology sectors.

You can search for manufacturers worldwide, including China, Japan, Germany, and other countries.

At the moment, the platform supports five languages: English, Spanish, French, German, and Japanese.

Metoree lists products in more than 8,000 categories. These range from measuring instruments and sensors to robots, safety equipment, and electrical components.

Below, you can see a small part of it:

Source: Metoree

However, it only lists 90,000 companies compared to Thomasnet’s 500,000 or Veridion’s 115 million.

Each company profile includes an overview, company type, founding date, location, number of employees, website links, and a list of products.

Source: Metoree

Unlike Thomasnet, which provides data on diversity and certifications, and Veridion, which offers even more comprehensive data, Metoree lacks these details.

However, some companies do have disclosed certification information.

Despite this, Metoree is great for comparing products and suppliers.

It’s very easy to use and presents information in a clear, uncluttered view, allowing you to quickly find what you need.

IndustryNet

IndustryNet is another valuable resource, offering data on more than 365,000 US suppliers. 

It has a proprietary classification system with over 11,000 product and service categories.

Source: IndustryNet

You can find:

• manufacturers of parts or machinery, 
• distributors for your products, 
• wholesalers of supplies for day-to-day operations, 
• trucking or logistics companies to move your inventory, 
• and business services like accounting, legal, consulting, or technology.

Suppliers can be searched based on location, ISO standards, diversity (woman, minority, or veteran-owned), ownership, and distribution.

Source: IndustryNet

IndustryNet company profiles include location data, contact information, products, services, certifications, and capabilities.

Here is an excerpt from one supplier profile:

Source: IndustryNet

Both IndustryNet and Thomasnet have large teams of supplier analysts and engineers.

In Thomasnet, each supplier is vetted by an analyst who uses company-submitted data, including products, services, website, and certifications, to create a listing and place it in relevant categories.

In IndustryNet, over 80 data researchers scour hundreds of sources, both online and offline, to find industrial suppliers.

They contact each company multiple times annually to ensure information remains up-to-date and complete.

In other words, both companies rely on manual searches and data accuracy checks.

While their dedication is admirable, there is a risk of not having the most accurate information.

Plus, statistics keep showing that suppliers do not provide the most reliable information themselves, which is a big concern and poses additional risks. 

Here, Veridion takes the lead over both IndustryNet and Thomasnet with AI, machine learning and automation, ensuring unbiased, near real-time and fresh supplier data at all times.

GlobalSpec

The next noteworthy alternative to Thomasnet is GlobalSpec.

As they say themselves, it’s a single source for all things engineering. 

It helps you discover the best suppliers, source products, and engage in a community for engineers and technical professionals across multiple industries.

Essentially, GlobalSpec is a search engine where engineers look for parts and components.

They can do that in two ways. Through a large directory of industrial suppliers, part of which you see below:

Source: GlobalSpec

And by directly searching for specific components they need.

While the first option is surely helpful, David Gobey, Chief Marketing Officer for GlobalSpec at the time, explained that the purpose of designing this search engine was to find exactly the component you need by comparing it with similar products. 

And that makes all the difference between GlobalSpec and Thomasnet:

Illustration: Veridion / Quote: Design News

Today, with GlobalSpec, you can search for over 122 million industrial parts from suppliers worldwide. 

You can filter searches within product categories down to specifying details such as package size and other parameters unique to each product type.

Source: GlobalSpec

This method of searching saves time and helps you find components that meet all your criteria.

Users of GlobalSpec agree, and Frank Batista, former Manufacturing Engineer at Cargile Associates Inc., was one of them:

“Every time I need to find a component, GlobalSpec saves me a day’s worth of work.”

So, if you are in the engineering sector, it’s really a no-brainer to turn to GlobalSpec.

IQS Directory

IQS Directory is the last alternative to Thomasnet we will cover today.

Like Thomasnet, this tool connects industrial buyers with American OEM manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors, giving access to a broad range of products and services.

It features 208 vertical microsites focused on specific industries or product categories.

Users can browse different product categories on these microsites, making it easier to find specific products that meet their requirements.

However, the information available about suppliers is limited to what the suppliers themselves have shared. 

For instance, you can only learn about their certifications if they have chosen to provide that information.

The layout can also feel a bit cramped, as you can notice below:

Source: IQS Directory

But, a big plus is that for some suppliers, you also get product videos, product-specific news articles, and, most helpful, customer reviews.

Here is an example of one review:

Source: IQS Directory

Such reviews give you first-hand information from users, and considering what they say about working with suppliers is a valuable practice when deciding who to purchase from.

Also, both suppliers’ and IQS Directory personnel periodically review supplier information to ensure data accuracy.

All in all, both IQS Directory and Thomasnet are limited to North American suppliers.

This makes them great tools for domestic sourcing, but if you are considering switching to global procurement, some other tools we mentioned today will be a better fit. 

Conclusion

In your search for the best suppliers, Thomasnet is just one option among many.

Veridion stands out with its global reach and comprehensive, always-updated data.

It’s a top choice, especially if you need to assess data that helps prevent supplier risks, whether due to financial instability or not meeting your ESG criteria.

On the other hand, if you’re in engineering and you need to quickly search for specific components, GlobalSpec offers distinct advantages over Thomasnet.

With these alternatives, you can really improve your supplier and product discovery process and find the best partners to drive your business forward.

So, why limit yourself to Thomasnet when these powerful and more specialized tools are at your fingertips?