Atlas Copco included on Forbes’ list of world’s most innovative companies

Atlas Copco has been named among the Top 100 most innovative companies in the world by Forbes magazine. Atlas Copco, ranked No. 67, joins innovative leaders on the list including Google Inc., Amazon.com, Inc., Apple®, Starbucks® and Procter & Gamble.   

Researchers at Forbes considered a number of factors when compiling the list, including a company’s Innovation Premium, which projects company income from existing businesses in addition to anticipated growth, as well as the net present value of cash flows.

The magazine did not consider peer reviews – judged by many to be a popularity contest based on past results – and instead looked to investors to help determine which companies were best poised for future growth and return on investment.

The research team at Forbes also identified five critical skill sets that company leaders should possess to help lead creative work and drive innovation within a company. These include:

• Questioning allows innovators to challenge the status quo and consider new possibilities;
• Observing helps innovators detect small details—in the activities of customers, suppliers and other companies—that suggest new ways of doing things
• Networking permits innovators to gain radically different perspectives from individuals with diverse backgrounds;
• Experimenting prompts innovators to relentlessly try out new experiences, take things apart and test new ideas;
• Associational thinking – drawing connections among questions, problems or ideas from unrelated fields – is triggered by questioning, observing, networking and experimenting and is the catalyst for creative ideas.

The magazine also looked at what it referred to as the “3P” framework as a code for innovation within an organization: people, processes and philosophies.


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Atlas Copco is an industrial group with world-leading positions in compressors, expanders and air treatment systems, construction and mining equipment, power tools and assembly systems. With innovative products and services, Atlas Copco delivers solutions for sustainable productivity. The company was founded in 1873, is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has a global reach spanning more than 170 countries. In 2010, Atlas Copco had 33 000 employees and revenues of BSEK 70 (BEUR 7.3). Learn more at www.atlascopco.com .


Specialty Rental is a division within Atlas Copco’s Compressor Technique business area. It serves customers in the industry segments around the world with temporary air and power rental solutions. The specialty rental services are offered under several brands. The divisional headquarters is located in Antwerp, Belgium.
Atlas Copco Rental belongs to the Specialty Rental division.