Bye, Apple. See Ya, Nike. IndustryWeek Boots Big Names from Its Annual List of Largest Manufacturers

Many of the largest companies that sell products to consumers in the U.S. outsource all production to suppliers.

CLEVELAND, May 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Many of the United States’ largest consumer product companies and industrial giants don’t make anything and no longer belong on a list of the country’s top manufacturers, editors at IndustryWeek, the leading news source for manufacturing leaders, determined.

The IndustryWeek U.S. 500 list has tracked the largest publicly traded manufacturing companies in the U.S. since 2002. For much of that time, Apple has been among the Top 5 companies, coming in No. 1 last year. For the 2023 list, however, editors eliminated Apple, Nike, Hasbro and many others that outsource production or are only tangentially related to manufacturing.

“We received many complaints about the inclusion of Nike and Apple—especially Apple because it dominated the list many, many times,” said IndustryWeek Editor-in-Chief Robert Schoenberger. “So, instead of only looking at self-reported industry codes, we went through the annual reports of each company to see what they had to say about their manufacturing activities.”

For example, Nike’s manufacturing statement reads, “Virtually all of our footwear and apparel products are manufactured outside the United States by independent manufacturers with whom we contract and refer to as ‘contract manufacturers.'”

Nearly a quarter of the eliminated companies are clothing or footwear producers. Of the 21 companies initially identified as U.S.-based producers, only four apparel companies made the final list—Hanesbrands Inc., Levi Strauss & Co., Columbia Sportswear Co. and Kontoor Brands Inc. (makers of Lee and Wrangler jeans).

For a story about why we removed companies, click here. For a full list of companies pulled from the list, click here. For the full IndustryWeek U.S. 500 list, click here.

About IndustryWeek

Founded in 1970, with roots going back to 1882, IndustryWeek is the leading news and information resource for people leading manufacturing companies. With coverage of leadership, continuous improvement, talent, technology and supply chain issues in manufacturing, IndustryWeek.com produces bi-weekly livestream chats, annual lists of the 500 largest and 50 best U.S. manufacturers, the annual IW Best Plants awards, an annual Technology Survey and an annual Salary Survey. IndustryWeek is owned by Endeavor Business Media. For more information, please visit www.industryweek.com.

Media Contact:

Robert Schoenberger

[email protected]

Editor-in-Chief, IndustryWeek

Endeavor Business Media

www.endeavorbusinessmedia.com

(330) 249-3162

SOURCE Industry Week; Endeavor Business Media