Forbes released its list of Most Innovative Companies in the World – and I am really surprised at these rankings, especially because I am sure any list coming from Forbes has to be taken seriously.
Would anyone believe if they said that FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever was more innovative than Google or for that matter Indian PSU Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) is more innovative than Infosys ?
But that’s exactly what Forbes list has to say!
The Forbes Most Innovative company list puts Salesforce.com at top of the list, followed by Amazon.com. Apple, which many believe to be the pinnacle of innovation though is 5th best, just one rank above Hindustan Lever.
From Indian Perspective – Only 4 companies make the cut in Top 100 most innovative companies – Although there are 2 Indian companies in top 10 and 3 in Top 15.
Forbes 100 World’s Most Innovative Companies
|
Rank
|
Company
|
5-Year Ave. Sales Growth (%)
|
5-Year Avg. Net Income Growth (%)
|
Enterprise Value (USD Bln)
|
Innovation Premium
|
| 1 | Salesforce.com | 39.5 | 78.7 | 20.7 | 75.1 |
| 2 | Amazon.com | 32 | 37.6 | 92.7 | 58.9 |
| 3 | Intuitive Surgical | 43.4 | 36.4 | 13.4 | 57.6 |
| 4 | Tencent Holdings | 69 | 75.4 | 46.5 | 52.3 |
| 5 | Apple | 35.1 | 60.7 | 303.4 | 48.2 |
| 6 | Hindustan Unilever | 10 | 4 | 15.5 | 47.7 |
| 7 | 35 | 37.1 | 138.1 | 44.9 | |
| 8 | Natura Cosméticos | 17 | 13.5 | 10.2 | 44.5 |
| 9 | Bharat Heavy Electricals | 27.2 | 25 | 19.5 | 43.6 |
| 10 | Monsanto | 13.4 | 44.7 | 41.3 | 42.6 |
| 11 | Reckitt Benckiser Group | 15.1 | 18.6 | 43.4 | 40.6 |
| 12 | Celgene | 46.3 | 81.1 | 27.5 | 40.5 |
| 13 | Nidec | 5.1 | 5 | 15.2 | 40 |
| 14 | Terumo | 5.8 | -0.1 | 10.7 | 38 |
| 15 | Infosys | 23.6 | 22.7 | 34.3 | 37.1 |
| 16 | Pernod Ricard | 14 | 14.9 | 38.5 | 36.6 |
| 17 | Keyence | 3.1 | 1.9 | 11.3 | 36.1 |
| 18 | FMC Technologies | 13.5 | 31.7 | 10.9 | 36 |
| 19 | Starbucks | 10.1 | 3.8 | 28.9 | 35.6 |
| 20 | Nintendo | 14.8 | -4.6 | 14.3 | 35 |
| 21 | Alcon** | 10.4 | 17.9 | – | 34.9 |
| 22 | Activision Blizzard | 31.1 | 41.6 | 10.5 | 34.6 |
| 23 | Beiersdorf | 5.3 | -0.7 | 12.7 | 34.5 |
| 24 | Procter & Gamble | 7.7 | 11 | 211.3 | 33.4 |
| 25 | Essilor International | 9.9 | 10 | 17.4 | 33.2 |
| 26 | L’Oréal | 6.1 | 2.6 | 74.7 | 33.1 |
| 27 | Schlumberger | 11.8 | 8.5 | 126.7 | 32.7 |
| 28 | Ecolab | 6.3 | 8.8 | 14.2 | 32.6 |
| 29 | Alstom | 9.3 | 21 | 19.3 | 32.5 |
| 30 | ICL-Israel Chemicals | 9.6 | 15 | 22 | 32.3 |
| 31 | General Mills | 5.1 | 10.2 | 30.2 | 32.3 |
| 32 | CSL | 10.1 | 14 | 17.8 | 32.1 |
| 33 | Colgate-Palmolive | 6.9 | 12.6 | 46.5 | 32 |
| 34 | NetApp | 17.3 | 12 | 15.8 | 31.6 |
| 35 | Danone | 5.5 | 5 | 57.1 | 31.5 |
| 36 | Citrix Systems | 14.7 | 7.5 | 14.7 | 30.4 |
| 37 | Areva | -2.1 | -3.4 | 19.1 | 30.3 |
| 38 | Rockwell Automation | 2.3 | -7.5 | 12.5 | 30.3 |
| 39 | Kone | 9 | 37.2 | 15.5 | 30.1 |
| 40 | China Oilfield Services | 29.7 | 38.1 | 14.5 | 30 |
| 41 | Synthes | 8 | 11.5 | 19.1 | 29.6 |
| 42 | Juniper Networks | 14.5 | -0.1 | 14.7 | 29.6 |
| 43 | Praxair | 5.1 | 9.6 | 39.6 | 28.8 |
| 44 | Estée Lauder Cos | 4.6 | -1 | 21.1 | 28.4 |
| 45 | Fanuc | 3.2 | 5.8 | 34.8 | 28.3 |
| 46 | Hershey | 3.1 | -0.5 | 13.4 | 27.2 |
| 47 | Avon Products | 5.7 | -1.5 | 14.4 | 25.9 |
| 48 | Paccar | -10 | -30 | 21.8 | 25.7 |
| 49 | SMC Corp | 1.1 | -2.2 | 10.9 | 25.5 |
| 50 | PepsiCo | 10.8 | 6.6 | 135.4 | 25.4 |
| 51 | Fresenius Medical Care | 10.8 | 15.1 | 29.2 | 25.1 |
| 52 | Secom | 3.2 | 2.8 | 9.4 | 25.1 |
| 53 | Anheuser-Busch InBev | 18.7 | 27.5 | 133.8 | 24.9 |
| 54 | Adobe Systems | 11.5 | 1.8 | 13.1 | 24.1 |
| 55 | Agilent Technologies | 1.4 | 14 | 15 | 23.9 |
| 56 | HTC Corp | 30.7 | 27.4 | 22.3 | 23.8 |
| 57 | Kellogg | 4.4 | 5.3 | 25.5 | 23.3 |
| 58 | Sandvik | 5.5 | 2 | 22.2 | 23.3 |
| 59 | ASML Holding | 12.3 | 26.8 | 13.2 | 22.7 |
| 60 | Air Products & Chemicals | 3.1 | 4.5 | 24 | 22.3 |
| 61 | Qualcomm | 13.8 | 2.1 | 80.4 | 22.3 |
| 62 | Richemont (Compagnie Financière) | 6.5 | -3.1 | 30.9 | 22.2 |
| 63 | SAP | 7.9 | 3.9 | 69.1 | 22.1 |
| 64 | Emerson Electric | 3.2 | 4.6 | 44.9 | 22 |
| 65 | Campbell Soup | 2.2 | 3.6 | 13.4 | 22 |
| 66 | Kao | 4.1 | -8.1 | 15 | 21.9 |
| 67 | Atlas Copco | 5.8 | 8.6 | 28.8 | 21.9 |
| 68 | Danaher | 9.7 | 11.2 | 37.1 | 21.7 |
| 69 | Corning | 5.9 | 33.7 | 21.9 | 21.4 |
| 70 | Daikin Industries | 7.9 | -13.4 | 13 | 21.3 |
| 71 | Thermo Fisher Scientific | 33.3 | 46.6 | 25.5 | 21.2 |
| 72 | Sany Heavy Industry | 68.1 | 91.8 | 23.1 | 21.2 |
| 73 | Johnson Controls | 2.4 | 11.6 | 31.9 | 21.2 |
| 74 | Unilever NV | 2.2 | 2.4 | 102.9 | 21 |
| 75 | Zoomlion Heavy Industry | 58.1 | 71.9 | 11.4 | 20.9 |
| 76 | Rolls-Royce Holdings | 10.9 | 9 | 16.5 | 19.4 |
| 77 | Oracle | 17.9 | 17.8 | 147.1 | 19.3 |
| 78 | Fresenius SE | 15.2 | 22.9 | 34.7 | 19.2 |
| 79 | Syngenta | 3.5 | 13.2 | 32.4 | 19.1 |
| 80 | LeGrand | 3.7 | 32.8 | 11.7 | 18.9 |
| 81 | Schindler Holding | -1.3 | 12.4 | 11.3 | 18.8 |
| 82 | Kraft Foods | 7.1 | -3.5 | 89.9 | 18.6 |
| 83 | Henkel | 4.7 | 8.1 | 27.2 | 18.6 |
| 84 | Intuit | 11.4 | 6.7 | 13.9 | 18.2 |
| 85 | Cameron International | 17.6 | 23.3 | 12 | 18.1 |
| 86 | Microsoft | 9.7 | 8.3 | 186 | 18 |
| 87 | Automatic Data Processing | 8.5 | 11 | 24.5 | 18 |
| 88 | Maroc Telecom | 9 | 10.4 | 16.9 | 17.7 |
| 89 | Precision Castparts | 9.1 | 21.1 | 22 | 17.5 |
| 90 | Air Liquide | 5.3 | 8.5 | 44.7 | 17.4 |
| 91 | Boston Scientific | 3.4 | – | 14.9 | 17 |
| 92 | Tenaris | 1.4 | -3.7 | 26.3 | 16.8 |
| 93 | ABB | 3.3 | 23.8 | 49.2 | 16.7 |
| 94 | Toshiba | 0.2 | 12 | 36.9 | 16.6 |
| 95 | Stryker | 9.7 | 14.5 | 20.7 | 16.5 |
| 96 | BAE Systems | 13.9 | 12.6 | 16.2 | 16.5 |
| 97 | Halliburton | 10.3 | -7.3 | 50.6 | 16.1 |
| 98 | CA | 2.8 | 49.3 | 9.5 | 16.1 |
| 99 | Altera | 7.8 | 14.1 | 11.1 | 16.1 |
| 100 | ConAgra Foods | 4.1 | 13.5 | 13 | 16 |
Would love to know what are your views on this list – Do you think rankings are correct or do you think that there is some flaw in the data?