FAST vs MFC Comparison

Fastenal began as an industrial retailer, expanding its product portfolio from nuts and bolts to cutting tools, safety equipment, and janitorial supplies. It transitioned into a distributor by building out a dense network of branches close to its business customers. Once a customer becomes large enough, Fastenal installs vending machines and its own personnel on-site. Today, these on-site locations exceed Fastenal's branch count and remain the firm's main focus for expansion. Fastenal acts as a one-stop outsourcing partner for its industrial customers, offering value-added services along with a wide breadth of maintenance, repair, and operations supplies.

Manulife Financial is one of the Big Three Canadian life insurers. The firm provides life insurance, annuities, and asset management products to individuals and group customers in Canada, the United States, and Asia. The Canadian business segment contributes approximately 22% of adjusted earnings. The Asia segment operates across 12 countries and contributes around 36% of earnings, with a significant presence in Hong Kong and Singapore. The US business, which primarily operates under the John Hancock brand, contributes about 23% of earnings and is one of the top 20 life insurers in the US. Manulife's global asset and wealth management business contributes approximately 20% of its earnings and had around CAD 1.03 trillion in assets under management and administration as of the end of 2024.