On Monday, Fortune Magazine released its 2016 Fortune 500 list, the 62nd annual who's-who ranking of the largest U.S. companies based on revenue from their most recently completed fiscal year.
The publication notes that Fortune 500 companies represent two-thirds of the U.S. GDP with $12 trillion in revenues, $840 billion in profits, $17 trillion in market value, and employ 27.9 million people worldwide.
With $482 billion in 2015 sales, Walmart topped the list for the fourth consecutive year, while other household names comprised the majority of the top 75. Here's the overall top 10:
- Walmart
- ExxonMobile
- Apple
- Berkshire Hathaway
- McKesson
- UnitedHealth
- CVS Health
- General Motors
- Ford Motor
- AT&T
Let's take a look at where industrial manufacturing and distribution companies — including those on Industrial Distribution's Big 50 List — made their mark on this year's Fortune 500:
70. Johnson Controls
75. Honeywell
93. 3M
102. Avnet
119. Arrow Electronics
128. Emerson Electric
133. Danaher
148. Cummins
182. PPG Industries
183. Genuine Parts Co. (Parent of Big 50 No. 10 Motion Industries and No. 23 EIS Inc.)
192. National Oilwell Varco
211. Illinois Tool Works
224. Parker-Hannifin
244. U.S. Steel
262. Praxair
282. Precision Castparts
285. Grainger (No. 3 on Big 50)
303. Reliance Steel & Aluminum
320. HD Supply (No. 4 on Big 50)
356. Steel Dynamics
357. WESCO International (No. 6 on Big 50)
377. Dover
391. Anixter International (No. 7 on Big 50)
412. Rockwell Automation
417. Commercial Metals
423. Graybar Electric
477. Essendant
480. Owens Corning
484. Airgas (No. 9 on Big 50)
At No. 285. Grainger was the first industrial distributor to crack the list, with $9.97 billion in 2015 revenue. It moved up five spots from a year ago. It's been a steady climb up the list for Grainger, which was No. 391 in 2006 and rose to 328 by 2011. Its biggest jump was from 2012 to 2013 when it jumped 23 spots. This year's mark is Grainger's highest since Fortune started tracking the list's ranking history in 1995.
At No. 320 and $8.8 billion in sales, HD Supply dipped four spots from last year. It first appeared on the list in 2013 at No. 330.
At No. 357, WESCO International and its $7.5 billion in sales moved up three spots from last year. WESCO was No. 448 in 2010 and peaked at No. 349 in 2014. It first cracked the Fortune 500 in 199 at No. 485.
At No. 391, Anixter's $6.6 billion in 2015 sales allowed it to jump 29 spots from a year ago, just shy of its peak high of 386 in 2012. The company first made the list in 1998 at No. 495, missed it in 2000, reappeared in 2001 and 2002 before and then missed out until 2007. It has had an overall climb since.
After missing the list last year, Airgas made it this year at No. 484 with $5.3 billion in sales. Airgas — now an Air Liquide company — cracked the top 500 by moving up 24 spots from a year ago. The company first made the list in 2010 at No. 474 didn't reappear until 2014 at No. 498.
A quick look at wholesale retailers:
18. Amazon
28. Home Depot
47. Lowe's
132. Staples
196. Office Depot
412. Tractor Supply
Beyond the top 500, Fortune extended its revenue list out to 1,000. Notable industrial distributors outside the Fortune 500 include:
539. Flowserve
541. MRC Global (No. 8 on Big 50)
544. General Cable
607. Fastenal (No. 12 on Big 50)
623. Zebra Technologies
630. Snap-on
645. Regal Beloit
727. NOW Inc. (No. 11 on Big 50)
747. MSC Industrial (No. 14 on Big 50)
757. Timken
780. Applied Industrial Technologies (No. 16 on Big 50)
789. Acuity Brands
806. Kennametal
832. Lincoln Electric
837. Beacon Roofing Supply
947. Rexnord
949. H.B. Fuller
Worth noting: At $4.5 billion in 2015 sales, MRC Global dropped 93 spots from last year (No. 448) and fell off the Fortune 500. At $3.9 billion in 2015 sales, Fastenal jump 43 spots from last year.
Coming Soon: The 2016 Industrial Distribution Big 50 List
Preparations are underway for this year's annual Big 50 List. It will first be unveiled via a video countdown presentation in late August, followed by its feature in the September/October print issue and an online article.
