The Thomas Blog

Tips For Designing A Homepage That Engages Website Traffic

The importance of homepage design cannot be overstated.

It is, in most cases, the first page website visitors see, and consequently the determining factor of whether visitors will stay on the site, explore additional pages, and become a lead by submitting a form. It can be fun to design a homepage, but it’s also critically important to lead generation.

7 Educational STEM Videos from EngineerGuy

The estimated 2 million manufacturing jobs that will go unfilled in the next decade due to the skills gap is frightening to think about, but many in the industry are already being proactive about promoting STEM to spark interest at all ages.

5 Things to Consider When Creating a Water Reuse or Treatment Plan for Your Business

Water is critically important for daily business operations, but do you realize how vulnerable your company is without a process water reuse or discharge plan in place? Implementing an efficient treatment process will create value and growth for your business. No matter your industry there is a treatment technology for your effluent that is safe, reliable, cost effective and compliant.

6 Mesmerizing Videos of Rube Goldberg Machines

Throughout the 1900s, millions of Americans read newspapers every day and flipped through to the funnies to find the latest from Rube Goldberg, a popular cartoonist.

While his work was somewhat political and controversial at times, he regularly drew complicated gadgets that would work together to complete a simple task — just to get a laugh. Over time, we’ve affectionately grown to call them “Rube Goldberg machines.”

Now, we see odes to the artist in popular culture — and they’ve evolved to become fascinating feats of engineering and manufacturing. Plus, they’re pretty awesome, so we rallied some of our favorite videos for you to see. Check them out below:

11 Industrial Companies Worth Your Follow on Twitter

Manufacturing has changed and so has the way we market it.

We've seen a transition in the past few decades from "big green books" with company information and phone numbers to updated online presences and social media profiles. Reaching potential customers has never been easier — you can send out a tweet or direct message, ask questions and have a dialogue within minutes.

A recent study showed that 85% of B2B companies in the U.S. use Twitter. Although industrial companies have been late adopters compared to some industries, there are thousands of potential prospects sending out 140-character messages each day.

Navigator Brings Thousands Of CAD Files, Product Specs to TE-CO Customers

World class product manufacturer leverages Thomas's technology to offer richer product data and 3D CAD models

TE-CO Workholding has integrated its website with the Navigator Platform, a Thomas technology that allows TE-CO to provide its customers with thousands of CAD models and product specifications.

The announcement follows a recent partnership between the two companies that emerged to help TE-CO and its distributors improve efficiencies in the availability and flow of rich product data to provide end-users with a better digital experience when searching for TE-CO products.

Thomas Featured on ENGINEERING.com

ENGINEERING.com recently featured Thomas in an article detailing the approaches Building Product Manufacturers (BPMs) are taking to respond to building information modeling (BIM), a new process for designing and constructing commercial buildings.

Amphenol Canada To Provide Dynamic CAD Engine And eCatalog Through Thomas Partnership

Amphenol Canada customers will have streamlined access to CAD models, part specifications and other rich product data.

In an effort to deliver on-demand access to its 3D CAD library and deliver a positive digital customer experience, Amphenol Canada is implementing the Thomas eCatalog and dynamic CAD solution on its website.

How Manufacturers Can Improve Lead Time? Ask These Questions

Whenever a buyer purchases a product, whether it be industrial, wholesale, or over-the-counter, one of the most important factors is lead time.

The fastest manufacturing and delivery services are always in high demand, and leaders from all levels of business are interested in providing faster lead times. It can be tricky, though, when your company is a distributor.

A manufacturer can always implement lean manufacturing methods to increase lead times, but what if your business relies on other manufacturers to provide products for customers?