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March 21, 2006

W.W. Grainger Inc., Chicago, IL, $5.5 billion distributor of facilities maintenance supplies, is adding more than 39,000 products to its new 2006 catalog launching April 3, 2006. The expansion brings the number of products offered through its catalog from 82,000 to more than 115,000.

The expanded offering consists of some 30,000 different fasteners such as screws, bolts and nuts and an additional 10,000 products spread across diverse product categories including electrical, cleaning, material handling, plumbing and ventilation.

In addition to the new larger catalog with more products and information, the company will stock more than 4,000 fasteners locally in most of its 400 U.S. branches with the balance available for shipping from distribution centers. Product selection tools on grainger.com will assist customers in narrowing their selection to the right product based on factors such as grade, size and material. Advanced cross-referencing tools, a new dedicated fastener catalog and employee product training are also available.

Grainger serves more than 1.7 million customers from the manufacturing, commercial, government, transportation and contractor markets. For immediate needs, customers go to local Grainger branches.

To celebrate the announcement the company commissioned a large fastener sculpture by well- known Chicago sculptor Erik Blome. The sculpture is on display this week at Grainger's booth at the National Plant Engineering & Maintenance Show and Conference in Rosemont, IL.

The sculpture created by Erik Blome stands 7 ft. tall, weighs about 500 pounds and is comprised of thousands of fasteners and related products. Blome’s other works include sculptures of Rosa Parks, Wayne Gretzky and the Chicago Blackhawks 75th Anniversary sculpture located outside the United Center.

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