KOBE, Japan—Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI) has earned a spot on the 2014 “Top 100 Global Innovators,” a compilation of the world's most innovative companies and institutes as determined by global information services company Thomson Reuters.
The list was compiled using objective data and rigorous analysis methods based on each organization's performance over a five-year period in terms of four evaluation criteria: patent volume; overall patent grant success rate; patent grant success rate of intellectual property-related activities; and global reach of patent portfolio, according to Thomson Reuters.
This is Sumitomo Rubber's second appearance on the list, which Thomson Reuters started publishing in 2011, and is the only rubber industry representative.
SRI noted that the ranking reflects its development of proprietary technologies and products aimed at combining environmental friendliness with “safety and peace of mind.” Among these are the Enasave 100, a 100-percent fossil resource-free tire, and Enasave Next, a further development that received the highest possible AAA-a rating for fuel efficiency and wet grip performance under Japan's tire labeling standard.
Thomson Reuters noted that the companies on the 2014 innovators list outperformed the Standard & Poor's 500 for the fourth consecutive year, achieving year-over-year market cap weighted revenue growth of 12.6 percent.