The Manufacturer's Agenda: Who's Who Among the Global Manufacturing Giants

Who's up? Who's down? Who's winning the never-ending race to be the biggest and the best? Many of us enjoy company rankings as much for the entertainment as for the information they deliver. Knowing which companies stumbled, skyrocketed or stalled provides fodder for cocktail party small-talk, as well as data that help us track the competition and choose vendors, partners and investments. 

Within the IndustryWeek 1000, IW's exclusive annual ranking of the world's largest public manufacturers based on revenue, you'll find plenty of detail to serve those needs and more. Reviewing the snapshot of annual revenue, revenue growth, profit, profit margin and other financial metrics, you'll discover the details that otherwise lie below the surface, that never make the general business news headlines. That company's huge revenue gain? Not so impressive when you see the profit margin in negative territory.

True, those of us who dig into annual data also closely monitor company and economic indicators each month and quarter, but the annual review, with its comparison to previous years, brings changes into focus, if only for a fleeting moment. 

One such example is the slowdown in China. We've been following it in the industrial production and other indicators, but the annual look -- see "Great Fall of China" -- provides detail about which companies and sectors are growing or shrinking. 

By its nature, the annual ranking is a look in the rearview mirror, but it includes clues to the future. Look especially at the lower-ranked companies, which tend to include unknown -- or at least less well-known -- companies and those new to the list. There, you may find your next offshore competitor or partner in countries like those mentioned in "Expanding Beyond the U.S. Market," including South Africa, which has eight companies on the IW 1000; Malaysia and Turkey, which each have four; and Chile, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which each have two. 

Also, in the lower ranks, you'll find most of the companies that are new to the list, some already household names, but others not so well-known. Those companies are on a growth path that is certain to impact their industry sector.

Finally, not to make too much of the obvious, the IW 1000 is a global list because manufacturing is a global endeavor. When IndustryWeek premiered the IW 1000, the U.S. had 323 companies on the list; this year it has 266. Meanwhile, the inaugural list featured few companies from China, whereas this year's list includes 58. This trend, whether or not your company is directly involved with non-U.S. business and no matter how large a company you run, will impact your business. We hope the IW 1000 provides an easy and entertaining way to stay apprised.