GWW vs HWM Comparison

Founded in 1927, W.W. Grainger originally distributed various motors via a mail-order catalogue. Over the course of the 20th century, the firm expanded into new industrial product categories and launched its first digital catalogue in 1995. Today, the company organizes itself into two segments focused on different customer bases. Its larger segment, high-touch solutions, offers a vast array of maintenance, repair, and operations, or MRO, supplies and bespoke inventory management services to larger businesses. Its smaller segment, endless assortment, operates two online platforms, Zoro and MonotaRO, that offer comprehensive catalogues of MRO supplies to smaller businesses. Grainger has operations throughout the world but primarily generates sales within the US.

Howmet Aerospace Inc produces products that are majorly used in aerospace, commercial transportation, and industrial and other markets. The company seeks to provide its customers with solutions by offering differentiated products such as airfoils with cooling and coatings for extreme temperature applications, specially designed fasteners for lightweight composite airframe construction, reduced assembly costs, lightning strike protection, and lightweight aluminum commercial wheels. It has four reportable segments namely, Engine Products, Fastening Systems, Engineered Structures, and Forged Wheels.