Top 10 Biggest and Most Innovative Companies

Feb. 12, 2018
This list combines the IW 1000 largest public manufacturers based on revenue, with Clarivate Analytics global innovation ranking.

Sometimes it’s possible for a company to be both the biggest and the most innovative. Recently, Clarivate Analytics identified the most innovative organizations around the globe and we compared that against the IW 1000, which ranks the largest public manufacturers in the world, based on revenue.

The innovative ranking was based on 4 criteria:

Volume --All organizations with 100 or more patent families containing a granted patent are taken forward for assessment of three further factors

Success --The conversion rate of patent applications to granted patents is assessed as a measure of innovation quality

Globalization--The breadth of filing of inventions is measured to determine the perceived global market value of innovation.

Influence--Citations to patents are counted to assess the impact of foundational innovation on which later inventions are built.

Here are the 10 companies that made both lists.

About the Author

Adrienne Selko | Senior Editor - MH&L, IW, & EHS Today

Adrienne Selko has written about many topics over the 17 years she has been with Endeavor Business Media and currently focuses on workforce development strategies. Previously Adrienne was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank.

She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck? which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list. She is a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics, EHS Today, and IndustryWeek. 

Editorial Mission Statement:

Manufacturing is the enviable position of creating products, processes, and policies that solve the world’s problems. When the industry stepped up to manufacture what was necessary to combat the pandemic, it revealed its true nature. My goal is to showcase the sector’s ability to address a broad range of workforce issues including technology, training, diversity & inclusion, with a goal of enticing future generations to join this amazing sector.

Why I Find Manufacturing Interesting: 

On my first day working for a company that made medical equipment such as MRIs, I toured the plant floor. On every wall was a photo of a person, mostly children. I asked my supervisor why this was the case and he said that the work we do at this company has saved these people’s lives. “We never forget how important our work is and everyone’s contribution to that.” From that moment on I was hooked on manufacturing.

I have talked with many people in this field who have transformed their own career development to assist others. For example, companies are hiring those with disabilities, those previously incarcerated, and other talent pools that have been underutilized. I have talked with leaders who have brought out the best in their workforce, as well as employees doing their best work while doing good for the world.