Delphi Receives Highest Rank For Its Technological Strength - MIT
TROY, Mich., April 30 -- With approximately 16,000 engineers, scientists and technicians dedicated to research and development initiatives and technological excellence, Delphi Corp. has been ranked number one in MIT's Technology Review magazine on the Patent Scorecard for its technological strength in the automotive industry.
"Delphi has an established track record of introducing technologies that have changed -- and improved -- the driving experience," said Donald L. Runkle, vice chairman, Enterprise Technologies, and chief technology officer, Delphi. "Delphi's intellectual properties of today become the leading technologies of tomorrow. Our scientists and engineers are developing end-to-end solutions for transportation challenges such as powertrain emissions, fuel efficiency, driver distraction, accident prevention and security. Delphi's number one ranking is testimony to our commitment to R&D initiatives and commitment to technological excellence."
The Patent Scorecard is an industry-by-industry ranking of corporate patent portfolios and combines the number of patents a company receives with other indicators to arrive at its technological strength and ranking. Technology Review's 2003 Patent Scorecard tracked the U.S. patent portfolios of more than 750 of the world's top technology companies, of which 97 were in the automotive industry.
The categories used in determining Delphi's number one ranking include:
* Technological Strength - overall assessment of a company's intellectual-property power. Delphi received the highest score and thus the number one ranking.
* Number of Patents - number of U.S. patents awarded, excluding design and other special-case inventions. Delphi received 654 U.S. patents in 2002.
* Current-Impact Index - showcases the broader significance of a company's patents by examining how often its U.S. patents from the previous five years are cited as references. Delphi's ranking of 1.38 indicates that its patents were cited 38 percent more often than the average.
* Science Linkage - this value shows the average number of scientific references listed in a company's U.S. patents.
* Technology Cycle Time - indicates a company's speed in turning leading- edge technology into intellectual property and represents the median age (in years) of the U.S. patents cited previously in the company's patents.
In 2002, Delphi received 987 patents worldwide -- equal to more than four patents each working day. In addition, Delphi's 2002 spend on research, development and engineering was $1.7 billion, or approximately 6 percent of sales. The results? -- 2,300 invention disclosures and the introduction of 184 new products and/or processes, which is a 47 percent increase over 2001. The total forecast for 2003-2006 is to introduce 359 new products and processes.
Technology Review Inc., an MIT Enterprise, delivers essential information about emerging technologies on the verge of commercialization. Since 1998, paid circulation for the company's magazine, Technology Review, has more than tripled, climbing from 92,000 to 315,000. Combined with its signature events, newsletters, and online businesses, Technology Review reaches over a million senior technology thinkers and influencers -- including venture capitalists, chief scientists, MIT alumni and students, researchers, senior corporate executives, investors, and innovators -- throughout the world each month.