John Deere has been named a Thomson Reuters 2012 top 100 Global Innovator, joining companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nike and Sony. This programme honours corporations and institutions that are at the heart of innovation, as measured by a series of proprietary patent-related metrics.
The list is an initiative of the Intellectual Property Solutions business of Thomson Reuters, and represents a diverse range of industries. The full report is available at www.top100innovators.com
“Meaningful innovation at John Deere is creating product and service solutions that solve real problems and create value for our customers and our company,” said Samuel R Allen, Deere & Company chairman and chief executive officer.
The Top 100 methodology rewards companies in four key areas: overall patent volume, patent grant success rate, global reach of the portfolio, and patent influence as evidenced by citations. The research uses a number of key patent and financial indexes to rank innovative practices in companies around the world.
Thomson Reuters said that the 2012 Top 100 Global Innovator companies created additional jobs, performed better in revenue, and invested more in research and development in the past year when compared to other companies.
“Our company began 175 years ago with the innovation of a self-scouring steel plough by our founder John Deere,” Allen added. “We invest in innovation to help our customers continue to be highly productive. For example, we have grown our capabilities in the past six years from a single North American corporate R&D centre to five Global Technology Innovation Centres.
“John Deere benefits from the competitive strength of enterprise-wide innovation as a key component of fulfilling the company’s business strategy and sustaining profitable growth through differentiation.”
David Brown, managing director of Thomson Reuters IP Solutions, said: “Innovation is the foundation for economic prosperity and technological advancement. We congratulate the Thomson Reuters 2012 Top 100 Global Innovator companies and their leaders for recognising the important role innovation plays in the successes of today and of tomorrow.”
John Deere www.johndeere.com