SMC in the top 50 of the world's most innovative companies according to Forbes Magazine

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SMC, the leading manufacturer, partner, and solutions provider for pneumatic and electrical automation technology, is appearing for the first time in the Top 50 of the most innovative global companies by Forbes Magazine. The magazine annually highlights companies that possess a particularly strong culture of innovation and capability.

The inclusion in the list underscores SMC's innovation ability on a global level: solutions are developed jointly with customers according to their needs and are implemented worldwide in five technical centers located in Japan, China, the USA, the United Kingdom, and Germany. SMC invests €171 million annually in its own research and development.

The Top-50 position represents a significant additional recognition following the company's recent inclusion in the Nikkei Stock Average (Nikkei 225). As a leading global provider of automation solutions, SMC has been serving customers from the automotive, electrical, medical, packaging, and food industries, as well as machine tool manufacturing, for over six decades. The product portfolio includes more than 12,000 basic models with over 700,000 variants for customized customer solutions.

Ralf Laber, Managing Director of SMC Germany, is pleased about the award: “SMC vigorously advances product development on important technological topics such as hydrogen, battery manufacturing, or energy efficiency. Our global technology centers ensure close innovation partnerships with our customers, no matter where they are located.”

Methodology of the Ranking

The ranking "The Most Innovative Companies in the World" by Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/special-features/innovative-companies.html) is determined based on a scientifically defined innovation value. The so-called "Innovation Premium" indicates how much investors have driven a company's stock price above its current value based on expectations of future innovative results (new products, services, and markets).

The evaluated companies must have a market capitalization of at least ten billion USD, spend at least one percent of their assets on research and development, and be able to provide public data for at least seven years.

The data used comes from HOLT ValueSearch, a consulting firm for corporate performance and valuation by Credit Suisse. The calculations and analyses are conducted by Dr. Michael J. McConnell, former head of research at Credit Suisse HOLT.