10 Manufacturers' websites that don't suck
Kevin Mason
Fractional CMO | B2B Marketing Strategist | Manufacturing & Engineering Specialist
You'll gather from the title that I have a pretty low opinion of most manufacturers' websites, and I'm sure I'm not alone. I find this astonishing, given the incredible stories these brands have to tell.
If you're lucky enough to visit a great manufacturers' premises you'll undoubtedly leave inspired. You'll be struck by the passion they put into their engineering, the attention to detail they put into their processes, the immaculate, tidy environment, and the commitment to solving customer challenges.
Yet, when it comes to presenting all this to the world on their website, they simply seem to lose interest. The end result is a sea of poorly designed experiences, with nothing more inspiring to say than they're a 'leading supplier of manufacturing products.'
However, here's a handful of manufacturers' websites that buck that trend.
1: Marion Body Works
A perfect example of design and copy coming together to punch through the proposition with wit and presence.
2: GRACO
The copy's the winner here. The headline's brutally functional. The supporting copy is a masterpiece in story telling. Together it wins hearts and minds.
3: Cornell Forge
Lots of brands trade on their heritage, saying how proud they are of it. Somehow in this headline, Cornell manage to create a sense that their 90 year heritage is a result of how good they are at forging. Simple and effective.
4: Rice Lake Glass
Again, in one headline you get that this glass company cares about service and project management. These first impressions count online where the average attention span is 8 seconds.
5: GE Aerospace
A big, bold, single-minded vision sits at the top of this website. Supported by the equally bold second panel, it leaves you in no doubt about what they do and why they do it.
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6: Aalberts
Construction technology - flow control, piping systems, surface systems. They're not exactly sexy, but Aalberts makes them look and sound epic.
7: Weima
Recycling technology - shredders, grinders, granulators, briquette presses and drainage presses. Weima have lovingly invested in dramatic product photography to bring these impressive machines to life.
8: Lear
Lear don't just make seats and electronic systems for cars. They make every drive better. If you're a car manufacturer, that instantly signals that Lear's purpose aligns with yours.
9: Molecular Products
Molecular's website experience is different, that's what makes it memorable. Rather than following the convention of laying out the site's contents on the home page, it single-mindedly channels you into one of 6 sectors through a carousel interface, leading you to a page with some use-case information and a case study. Other content is accessed through the navigation bar. The overall impression you're left with is an innovative company, unconstrained by convention.
10: Panasonic Connect
Panasonic have a huge range of business technology which they sell under the 'Connect' umbrella sub-brand. The website promises 'all business solutions under one roof', framed with a visionary positioning statement which gives a progressive, contemporary feel to the brand. Again, it's very clear what they do and why they do it.
That's my top ten manufacturers' websites. I'm sure there are probably others out there worth a mention. If you come across one, let me know and I'll update the list sometime.