See Where Industrial Distributors & Suppliers Landed On The 2018 Fortune 500

The 64th annual Fortune 500 was unveiled on May 21. See where industrial distributors, suppliers and other relevant companies to the industrial products market appear on the list.

On May 21, Fortune Magazine released its 2018 Fortune 500 list, the 64th 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 $12.8 trillion in revenues, $1.0 trillion in profits (up from $890 billion in 2017), $21.6 trillion in market value (up from $19 trillion from 2017), and employ 28.2 million people worldwide.

With more than $500 billion in 2017 sales, Walmart topped the list for the sixth consecutive year, while other household names comprised the majority of the top 75. Here's the overall top 10:

Rank

Company

2017 Revenue

2017 Rank

1.

Walmart

$500.34 billion

1

2.

Exxon Mobil

$244.36 billion

4

3.

Berkshire Hathaway

$223.60 billion

2

4.

Apple

$229.23 billion

3

5.

UnitedHealth Group

$201.16

6

6.

McKesson

$198.53 billion

5

7.

CVS Health

$184.77 billion

7

8.

Amazon.com

$177.87 billion

12

9.

AT&T

$160.55 billion

9

10.

General Motors

$157.31 billion

8

Nine of the 2017 top 10 companies repeated in 2017, with Walmart, CVS Health and AT&T holding the same position.

Some notable facts about the rest of this year’s Fortune 500:

  • The minimum full-year revenue to make this year’s list was $5.4 billion — i[ 6% from last year
  • At No. 8, Amazon cracked the top-10 for the first time
  • Only 24 companies on the list have a female CEO
  • At No. 260, Tesla had the biggest one-year list jump of all companies, moving up 123 spots from 2017
  • At No. 291, Xerox had the list’s biggest one-year fall, dropping 129 spots
  • At No. 18, GE’s ranking is its lowest ever
  • The 2018 lists includes 17 newcomers
  • 53 companies on the list have been on the Fortune 500 every year since it started in 1955
  • The state with the most Fortune 500 company headquarters was New York with 58, topping California’s 49 and Texas’ 48

Let's take a look at where industrial manufacturing and distribution companies — including those on Industrial Distribution's Big 50 List and other relevant companies to the industrial supply market — made their mark on this year's Fortune 500, which actually extends to 1,000 firms. Bolded companies were on ID's 2017 Big 50 List:

  • 11. Ford Motor - $156.78 billion (2017: 10)
  • 13. Chevron - $134.53 billion (2017: 19)
  • 18. General Electric - $122.27 billion (2017: 13)
  • 23. Home Depot - $100.90 billion (2017: 23; parent company of Big 50 No. 14 Interline Brands)
  • 27. Boeing - $93.39 billion (2017: 24)
  • 28. Phillips 66 - $91.57 billion (2017: 34)
  • 39. Target - $71.88 billion (2017: 38)
  • 40. Lowe’s - $68.62 billion (2017: 40)
  • 44. UPS - $65.87 billion (2017: 46)
  • 50. FedEx - $60.32 billion (2017: 58)
  • 59. Lockheed Martin - $51.05 billion (2017: 56)
  • 65. Caterpillar - $45.46 billion (2017: 74)
  • 77. Honeywell - $40.53 billion (2017: 73)
  • 97. 3M - $31.66 billion (2017: 94)
  • 113. Arrow Electronics - $26.81 billion (2017: 118)
  • 119. Raytheon - $25.35 billion (2017: 116)
  • 124. International Paper - $23.30 billion (2017: 133)
  • 128. Avnet - $22.87 billion (2017: 108)
  • 149. Cummins - $20.43 billion (2017: 159)
  • 162. Danaher - $18.33 billion (2017: 144)
  • 163. Kimberly-Clark - $18.26 billion (2017: 155)
  • 177. Genuine Parts Co. - $16.31 billion (2017: 180; Parent of Big 50 No. 6 Motion Industries)
  • 178. Emerson Electric - $16.30 billion (2017: 139)
  • 190. Sherwin-Williams - $14.98 billion (2017: 236)
  • 191. PPG Industries - $14.97 billion (2017: 183)
  • 196. Newell Brands - $14.74 billion (2017: 208)
  • 204. Illinois Tool Works - $14.31 billion (2017: 202)
  • 228. Stanley Black & Decker - $12.75 billion (2017: 250)
  • 246. United States Steel - $12.22 billion (2017: 279)
  • 256. Parker-Hannifin - $12.03 billion (2017: 251)
  • 262. Alcoa - $11.65 billion (2017: 300)
  • 264. Praxair - $11.44 billion (2017: 275)
  • 281. Office Depot - $10.75 billion (2017: 203)
  • 287. W.W. Grainger - $10.42 billion (2017: 282; No. 2 on Big 50)
  • 305. Reliance Steel & Aluminum - $9.72 billion (2017: 320)
  • 309. eBay - $9.57 billion (2017: 310)
  • 338. Crown Holdings - $8.70 billion (2017: 333)
  • 345. Air Products & Chemicals - $8.44 billion (2017: 294)
  • 357. Anixter International - $7.93 billion (2017: 359)
  • 360. Dover - $7.83 billion (2017: 392)
  • 370. WESCO International - $7.68 billion (2017: 373)
  • 388. National Oilwell Varco - $7.30 billion (2017: 375)
  • 391. Tractor Supply - $7.26 billion (2017: 396)
  • 424. United Rentals - $6.64 billion (2017: 452)
  • 426. Graybar Electric - $6.61 billion (2017: 420)
  • 430. HD Supply - $6.53 billion (2017: 364; No. 4 on Big 50)
  • 442. Owens Corning - $6.38 billion (2017: 458)
  • 445. Rockwell Automation - $6.31 billion (2017: 442)
  • 456. Sealed Air - $6.13 billion (2017: 397

At No. 287, Grainger was the first industrial distributor to crack the list. Despite increasing sales by nearly $300 million year-over-year, it fell five spots from the 2017 list — when it achieved its highest position ever. Grainger was No. 391 back in 2006.

At No. 370, WESCO International bumped up three spots from last year. It was 448 back in 2010 and peaked at No. 349 in 2014. At No. 430, HD Supply fell 66 spots from last year, but that’s mainly due to it divesting its Waterworks business. Combined with other divestments in 2016, HD Supply has fallen 110 spots down the list from 2016. It first appeared on the list in 2013 at No. 330.

Beyond the top 500, notable industrial distributors and other companies on Fortune's list of 1,000 includes:

  • 522. Essendant - $5.04 billion (2017: 487)
  • 566. Fastenal - $4.39 billion (2017: 591; No. 7 on Big 50)
  • 569. Beacon Roofing Supply - $4.38 billion (2017: 582)
  • 575. Watsco - $4.34 billion (2017: 574)
  • 602. Snap-on - $4.00 billion (2017: 618)
  • 621. General Cable - $3.84 billion (2017: 603)
  • 635. Flowserve - $3.66 billion (2017: 589)
  • 640. MRC Global - $3.65 billion (2017: 726; No. 9 on Big 50)
  • 665. Acuity Brands - $3.51 billion (2017: 679)
  • 686. Ryerson Holding - $3.36 billion (2017: 753)
  • 688. Regal Beloit - $3.36 billion (2017: 690)
  • 731. Timken - $3.00 billion (2017: 781)
  • 749. MSC Industrial Direct - $2.89 billion (2017: 752; No. 11 on Big 50)
  • 751. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling - $2.89 billion (2017: 792)
  • 801. NOW Inc. - $2.65 billion (2017: 910; No. 13 on Big 50)
  • 804. Lincoln Electric - $2.62 billion (2017: 868)
  • 810. Applied Industrial Technologies - $2.59 billion (2017: 806; No. 12 on Big 50)
  • 873. H.B. Fuller - $2.31 billion (2017: 913)
  • 944. Kennametal - $2.06 billion (2017: 912)
  • 967. SPX Flow - $1.95 billion (2017: 939)
  • 977. Farrelgas Partners - $1.93 billion (2017: 926)
  • 982. Rexnord - $1.92 billion (2017: 958)

At No. 566, Fastenal jumped 25 spots up the list from last year, while MRC Global made an even bigger jump — 86 spots — up to No. 640 as its sales continued to greatly improve from the 2015-2016 oil & gas market downturn. It was the same story at NOW Inc., which soared a whopping 109 spots up the list to No. 801. Applied Industrial Technologies dipped four spots from last year despite a modest sales increase — as the Fortune 500 doesn’t include Applied’s big 2018 acquisition of FCX Performance.

Coming Soon: The 2018 Industrial Distribution  Big 50 List

Preparations are underway for this year's annual Big 50 List. ID newsletter subscribers can expect to see an email invitation in late June to fill out our annual Big 50 survey, which we use to compile the list. Like the Fortune 500, the ID Big 50 List is based solely on each company's previous full-year sales. So for most companies, their 2018 ranking will be based on 2017 sales.

To be considered for the Big 50, companies, or a business segment, must primarily distribute industrial products and have at least a considerable presence in the U.S.

The Big 50 will first be unveiled via a video countdown presentation in late August, followed by its feature in the September print issue and an online article.

View the 2017 Big 50 online article here

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