GlobalSpec was founded in 1996 with a 40 million dollar investment from Warburg Pincus and claimed to have over 7,000,000 registered users. Globalspec was acquired by IHS earlier in 2014. In 2016, IHS sold to IEEE-The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. On July 31, 2020, San Francisco-based Compare Networks Inc. bought Globalspec.
GlobalSpec is not like most Industrial directories in 2 ways. First, it requires registration with username and password and provides these details to advertisers. Second, Globalspec wants to keep the user within GlobalSpec versus directing to advertiser’s websites.GlobalSpec has branched into searchable catalogs, newsletters, online events, online trade shows, and a banner advertising network. Global Spec has a primary directory with their Spec Search technology allowing the user to select their choices by attributes of the product or service. Buyers compare different catalogs and products from other manufacturers. The ranking is by Alphabetical sort for all companies, followed by non-paid listings with much less information. The big push with GlobalSpec is “lead nirvana,” based on providing complete contact information. The cost for Directory programs is $18,000 for a one-year period, and they often offer a six-month trial program.