Founded in 1927 by William W. Grainger, W.W. Grainger provides wholesale electric motor sales and distribution business. He established the company to provide an efficient solution for customers to access a consistent supply of electric motors. Sales in the early days were generated primarily through mail order via post cards and a catalog. In 1976, Grainger became the first in the industry to implement optical character recognition equipment. Grainger continued to advance its systems throughout the 1980s by installing a national satellite-based digital communication network. In 1991, Grainger introduced the first comprehensive electronic MRO catalog on CD-ROM. Grainger launched the corporate website in 1995 and began taking orders online in 1996. Grainger s product line includes more than 500,000 supplies and 2.5 million repair parts. The Grainger branch network consists of more than 570 branches in North America, including a facility in Tukwila, Wash. The catalog is published annually and is available on CD-ROM and online.