These are the TOP 20 PRODUCTS buyers were sourcing at Thomasnet.com® in Q1 2020:
1. Steel 2. Hand Sanitizers 3. Automation Equipment 4. Packaging 5. Plastic Bags 6. Lumber 7. Fasteners 8. Metal Fabrication 9. Metal Stampings 10. Food Products 11. Plastics 12. Corrugated Boxes 13. Medical Equipment & Supplies 14. Laboratory Equipment & Supplies 15. Material Handling Equipment 16. Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) 17. Respirators 18. Labels 19. Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) 20. Chemicals
Here are the TOP 20 SERVICES buyers were sourcing at Thomasnet.com® in Q1 2020:
1. CNC Machining 2. Plastic Injection Molding 3. Construction Contractors 4. Warehouse & Distribution 5. Contract Manufacturing 6. Tube Fabrication & Bending 7. Third Party Logistics (3PL) 8. Electronic Contract Manufacturing 9. Heat Treating 10. Nutritional Supplement & Vitamin Contract Manufacturing Today’s industrial buyer is as much as 70% of the way through the buying process before contacting a supplier. Thomas solutions are engineered to work together throughout that entire process, to serve those buyers and the suppliers that need to reach, engage, and sell to them. Learn more at Thomasnet.com. 11. Non-Destructive (NDT) Testing 12. Private Label Manufacturing 13. Freight Forwarding 14. Electrical Contractors 15. Bottle Filling Contract Packaging 16. Laser Cutting 17. Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Assembly 18. Contract Packaging 19. CNC, Aircraft & Aerospace Machining 20. Electronic Manufacturing (EMS)
These categories saw the biggest increase in sourcing activity in Q1 2020, year-over-year, at Thomasnet.com®
1. Hand Sanitizers s755% 2. Respirators s640% 3. Personal Protection Safety Equipment s500% 4. Access Doors s470% 5. Automation Engineering s365% 6. Robotic Welding Services s360% 7. Assembly Services s345% 8. Painting Contractors s340% 9. Isopropyl Alcohol s330% 10. Aloe Vera s270% 11. Thermometers s260% 12. Food & Beverage Packaging Equipment s255% 13. Toilet Paper s220% 14. Foodservice Equipment s215% 15. Plastic Prototypes s210% 16. HVAC Filters s200% 17. Aerospace Castings s190% 18. Butterfly Valves s180% 19. Corrosion Resistant Coatings s170% 20. Chemical Contract Packaging Services s165%
Q1 Predictions:
Solar Collector Panels:
Sourcing for Solar Collector Panels would rise between s9% and s13% this quarter
Lithium-Ion Batteries:
The category increased by s5% over the last three months
Aluminum Bottles:
That industrial sourcing for Aluminum Bottles in Q1 2020 would increase s7-11%.
Construction Contractors:
Searches for this category actually grew by s65%
Sourcing Forecast Q2 2020
PPE (and other COVID-19-related products/services)
The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on global supply chains, especially for critical medical supplies like PPE, face masks, ventilators, and other key materials. As sourcing across these medical categories spikes and manufacturers rush to meet growing demand, we expect to see sourcing in the category of PPE (and other COVID-19 related products and services) grow at least s15-20%, if not much more, over the next quarter.
Robotic Welding Services
Valued at $5.4 billion dollars in 2018, the global robotic welding market is expected to reach $10.7 billion dollars by 2026. Fueled by the rapid adoption of Industry 4.0, the enhanced safety and accuracy associated with robotic welding, and the drop in costs associated with these services, robotic welding is growing in popularity across the industry. With these factors in mind, we anticipate sourcing for this category will grow between s9-12% in Q2. 2020 Q1 Sourcing Activity Snapshot PPE (and other COVID-19-related products/services) Thomas IndexTM Sourcing Forecast Q2 2020 15%–20
Kitchen Equipment
As the value of the food delivery market skyrockets, many restaurants are turning to ghost kitchens to take advantage of the burgeoning market opportunity. Spaces used to cook food for a delivery-app-only restaurant, these ghost kitchens need equipment, often custom-built, to accommodate food production. Considering the growing need for equipment in these settings, we expect sourcing in this category will increase s7-10% over the next quarter.
Automation Engineering
By implementing automation technology, industrial businesses free up their human employees from working on dangerous production tasks, eliminate potential errors, reduce costs, and allow humans to handle more intellectually demanding projects. As more manufacturers start adopting these technologies and look for partners to guide them through the implementation process, we expect sourcing for this category to grow between s6-9% in Q2.
