Author: Ben Debski

1982

Zetsche completed a Phd in engineering at the University of Paderborn in 1982

2018

Zetsche will remain at the helm of Daimler until 2018

Having spent much of his career at German multinational corporation Daimler AG – where he currently stands as Chairman of the Executive Board – Dieter Zetsche has overseen many of the innovations and developments implemented throughout its rich 15-year history. Zetsche argues that: “As much as a smartphone can be far more than just a tool for communication, a smart car can be more than just a means of transportation”. Zetsche, with Daimler, is currently developing a future in which drivers are allowed to communicate with their cars.

25^%

One in four Samsung employees currently work in its R&D department

6.2^%

Samsung’s proportion of R&D to total sales

One of the largest electronics corporations worldwide, Samsung’s multi-billion dollar enterprise has developed in strict correlation with its continued willingness to innovate. Samsung works alongside eco-friendly companies and operates in accordance with environmental practices to ensure its financial success is replicated by its ethical business standing. Samsung’s Value Innovation Programme has initiated the creation of six design labs and has ensured a measure of technological prowess in its continued development as an electronics giant.

200m

Johnson Controls has products, from single components to full interiors, in over 200 million vehicles

500

Johnson Controls is involved in 500 renewable energy projects including wind and geo-thermal

Johnson Controls offers services and products for the optimising of energy and the efficiency of buildings, as well as automotive batteries, electronics and interior systems for automobiles. It supports the largest research and innovation programme in the real estate industry and cites technology as a means for furthering the efficiency of those currently in the workplace. Johnson Controls routinely adapts and readapts its services to take existing products to another level of ingenuity.

1880s

P&G’s breakthrough was its ‘Ivory’ soap that floated in water

$1bn

Today, 24 of P&G’s brands generate more than $1bn in annual sales

American consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G) is proof that efforts to maintain environmental initiatives can be rewarded with profit-making. P&G’s history is enriched not only with individual product innovations, but with developing entirely new product categories: its staff have over 1,000 PhDs among its 8,000 employees. Engulfing its business practices with sustainable criteria, whether it be in its formulation methods or in packaging, P&G stands as a monument to what can be achieved simultaneously in both the corporate and social sphere.

1987

PCO was founded in 1987 with the objective of producing fast and sensitive video camera systems

sCMOS

PCO was one of the first camera companies in the world to offer a sCMOS camera

PCO is a leading manufacturer of high-performance camera systems, primarily used for scientific and industrial purposes. The digital cameras are dynamic, fast, with extraordinarily high-calibre resolution. Relying on state-of-the-art image sensors, the cameras are built using CCD, CMOS and sCMOS technology. Headquartered in Germany, the firm’s cameras are used in a wide variety of applications, including new microscopy techniques, crash-test applications and 3D metrology. PCO cameras were even used to record the last Space Shuttle start in 3D and delivered the first high-quality images from the Titanic wreck. PCO is comprised of a 20-strong team of dedicated specialists working continually on pushing the limits of camera technology in R&D.

317 metres

Kone operates the world’s largest elevator, Tytyri, at 317 metres

IDE300

The IDE300 has auto-recognition and takes residents directly to their home floor

Kone is an international engineering and services company, perhaps most commonly known for providing maintenance services and modernisation solutions for businesses throughout the globe. Kone demonstrates a history of innovation in that it has always provided long-term, systematic investment support to its R&D capabilities; monitoring consumer demands and the developments in technology to better provide for its customers and employees. Perhaps most important of Kone’s business principles is its assurance of quality in both its products and in its services.

12,200

Cisco has filed12,200 patents, an average of 700 per year

$450bn

Cisco is one of the world’s most valuable companies, with a valuation of $450bn

Cisco’s unrelenting business enterprise and focus on collaboration has made for one of the world’s most successful networking companies. Now a multinational corporation with annual revenue of over $46bn, Cisco is adept at incorporating its employees’ ideas to promote growth from within. Encouraging staff to implement customer feedback in the development of new products, as well as encouraging them to swap and share ideas with third parties, the firm’s emphasis on innovation is testament to its continued success as a multinational corporation.

15

MAT helped 15 British Olympic medallists get to the gold podium at London 2012

60,000sq ft

MAT is building a new 60,000sq ft centre which will create 400 permanent jobs

McLaren Applied Technologies (MAT) is a British company focusing on technical applications for the McLaren Group. Since its formation in 2004, MAT has pursued advances in systems, equipment, modelling and simulation. The company works on the principles of open innovation and, as such, manages a network of entrepreneurial technology companies to better develop new and innovative solutions to the highest standards possible.

5,000

Syngenta employs 5,000 people at its R&D centres globally

$1bn

Syngenta spends on average $1bn per year on its R&D initiatives

Global specialised chemicals company Syngenta works primarily in the advancement of biotechnology and genomic research. The Swiss-based company is the third-largest seller of commercial agricultural seeds and employs 26,000 people across 90 countries. Syngenta maintains a strict focus on innovation, aiming to turn scientific progress into commercially viable products. Decorated with awards for scientific excellence and advances in new agricultural solutions, Syngenta fosters a reputation as a world leader in providing new means of doing business.

“Our parents and grandparents took us to the Moon the first time. Now it’s time for us to go back to the Moon to stay, and then head straight for Mars.”

Prior to Virgin Galactic, Whitesides served as Chief of Staff for NASA

George T Whitesides is the CEO of Virgin Galactic, a project with the goal of providing sub-orbital flight opportunities for those interested in space tourism. Whitesides maintains a strict philosophy of combining both entrepreneurship and innovation; a philosophy he thinks essential for the future of job creation. This principle is one very much linked to the work of Virgin Galactic, where a focused approach is essential to meet its ambitious aims.