25 most innovative companies in the world

There are some companies that are happy with the way things are, while others are constantly innovating and experimenting.

Let's take a look at some companies that are most innovative in the world.

Source: Forbes

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Salesforce.com

Industry: Software & Programming

Founded: 1999

Sales: $3.05 billion

Employees: 9,800

Headquarters: San Francisco, California

Overall rank: 1

Although famous for customer relationship management products, it has recently branched out into social enterprise arena through buyouts.

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Alexion Pharmaceuticals

Industry: Biotechs

Founded: 1992

Sales: $1.13 billion

Employees: 1,373

Headquarters: Connecticut, United States

Overall rank: 2

Alexion Pharmaceuticals is the major distributor of Solaris, a medicine that helps treat disorders. It's also carrying out research into what role immune system can play to stop attacking healthy tissue.

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VMware

Industry: Software & Programming

Founded: 1998

Sales: $4.6 billion

Employees: 13,800

Headquarters: Palo Alto, California

Overall rank: 3

VMware offers cloud and virtualisation software and services. With more than 480,000 customers and 55,000 partners, it provides services to companies of all sizes.

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Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Industry: Biotechs

Founded: 1988

Sales: $1.38 billion

Employees: 1,950

Headquarters: New York, United States

Overall rank: 4

Regeneron and Sanofi, another drug manufacturer, are working together to develop a medicine that will reportedly reduce cholesterol level 72 per cent more than any other drug.

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ARM Holdings

Industry: Semiconductors

Founded: 1990

Sales: $938 million

Employees: 2,261

Headquarters: Cambridge, United Kingdom

Overall rank: 5

ARM Holdings, the world's leading semiconductor intellectual property supplier, has offices around the world, including India.

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Baidu

Industry: Computer Services

Founded: 2000

Sales: $3.54 billion

Employees: 2,261

Headquarters: Beijing, China

Overall rank: 6

The Chinese web company offers many services, including search engine, multimedia content, discussion forum, etc. It's the first Chinese company to be listed in the Nasdaq-100 index.

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Amazon.com

Industry: Internet & Catalog Retail

Founded: 1994

Sales: $61.09 billion

Employees: 88,400

Headquarters: Seattle, Washington

Overall rank: 7

Amazon.com, one of the largest online retailers in the world, manufactures consumer electronics, provides cloud services and sells everything from video games to clothes.

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Intuitive Surgical

Industry: Medical Equipment & Supplies

Founded: 1995

Sales: $2.18 billion

Employees: 2,362

Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California

Overall rank: 8

Intuitive Surgical is the global leader in the rapidly emerging field of robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery. Since its inception, the company has consistently provided surgeons and hospitals with the tools needed to improve clinical outcomes and to help patients return to active and productive lives, according to its website.

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Rakuten

Industry: Internet & Catalog Retail

Founded: 1997

Sales: $5.56 billion

Employees: 7,615

Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan

Overall rank: 9

Rakuten is the largest e-commerce site in Japan and among the world’s largest by sales. It has acquired Buy.com in the United States, Priceminister in France, Ikeda in Brasil, Tradoria in Germany, Play.com in the United Kingdom and Wuaki.tv in Spain, according to Wikipedia.

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Natura Cosmeticos

Industry: Household/Personal Care

Founded: 1969

Sales: $3.1 billion

Employees: 6,700

Headquarters: Cajamar, Brazil

Overall rank: 10

Natura Cosmeticos, one of the biggest producer and marketer of beauty products, operates in several countries around the world, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Mexico, Peru, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

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Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development

Industry: Food Processing

Founded: 1998

Sales: $6.26 billion

Employees: 61,050

Headquarters: Henan, China

Overall rank: 11

Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development manages several businesses, including food, logistics and flavouring products. It's also the biggest stakeholder in largest meat processing enterprise in China.

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Coloplast

Industry: Medical Equipment & Supplies

Founded: 1957

Sales: $1.92 billion

Employees: 7,875

Headquarters: Humlebak, Denmark

Overall rank: 12

Coloplast, which produces and sells medical devices, operates in 53 countries. In some countries it deals with hospitals and institutions, while in others it deals directly with consumers.

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Cerner

Industry: Healthcare Services

Founded: 1979

Sales: $2.66 billion

Employees: 11,900

Headquarters: Missouri, United States

Overall rank: 13

Cerner, which says it's the biggest provider of electronic medical systems in the United States, offers solutions to manage medical and financial records to hospitals and other medical facilities.

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Unicharm

Industry: Household/Personal Care

Founded: 1961

Sales: $5.18 billion

Employees: 10,287

Headquarters: Ehime, Japan

Overall rank: 14

Unicharm sells baby and child care products, feminine care products, health care products, cosmetic products, household products, pet care products, industrial materials and food-packaging materials, etc.

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Estee Lauder

Industry: Household/Personal Care

Founded: 1946

Sales: $9.98 billion

Employees: 38,500

Headquarters: New York, United States

Overall rank: 15

Estee Lauder is a producer and seller of high-end personal care products, such as Clinique, Ermenegildo Zegna, M·A·C and Michael Kors.

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Jeronimo Martins

Industry: Food Retail

Founded: 1792

Sales: $13.98 billion

Employees: 66,270

Headquarters: Lisbon, Portugal

Overall rank: 16

Jeronimo Martins operates, supermarkets, hypermarkets, cash-and-carry stores and industrial facilities in Portugal and Poland.

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FMC Technologies

Industry: Oil Services & Equipment

Founded: 2000

Sales: $6.15 billion

Employees: 18,400

Headquarters: Houston, Texas

Overall rank: 17

FMC Technologies, which operates 30 manufacturing facilities in 16 nations, is one of the biggest providers of equipment and services to the energy sector.

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Tencent Holdings

Industry: Computer Services

Founded: 1998

Sales: $6.96 billion

Employees: 24,160

Headquarters: Guangdong, China

Overall rank: 18

Tencent Holdings, an investment company in China, runs many businesses, including web portals, e-commerce, online games and social networks. Some of its best-known brands are instant messenger Tencent QQ and QQ.com, a web portal.

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Starbucks

Industry: Restaurants

Founded: 1985

Sales: $13.66 billion

Employees: 160,000

Headquarters: Seattle, Washington

Overall rank: 19

Starbucks, the biggest coffeehouse chain in the world, operates 20,891 stores in 62 countries, including 13,279 in the United States, 1,324 in Canada, 989 in Japan, 851 in China and 806 in the United Kingdom.

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Pernod Ricard

Industry: Beverages

Founded: 1974

Sales: $10.4 billion

Employees: 18,308

Headquarters: Paris, France

Overall rank: 20

Pernod Ricard is one of the biggest players in the wine and spirits industry. It owns some of the most famous brands, such as Absolut, Chivas Regal, Havana Club and Macieira Brandy.

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Beam

Industry: Beverages

Founded: 1904

Sales: $2.47 billion

Employees: 3,400

Headquarters: Illinois, United States

Overall rank: 21

Beam, the fourth-largest premium spirits company in the world and the largest US-based spirits company, crafts and markets dozens of the world’s top premium spirits brands.

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Perrigo

Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Founded: 1887

Sales: $3.26 billion

Employees: 8,800

Headquarters: Michigan, United States

Overall rank: 22

Perrigo, one of the leading global healthcare suppliers, produces and sells over-the-counter drugs, generic prescription medicines, infant formulas, nutritional products among others.

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Essilor International

Industry: Medical Equipment & Supplies

Founded: 1972

Sales: $6.58 billion

Employees: 48,700

Headquarters: Paris, France

Overall rank: 23

Essilor, the biggest manufacturer of corrective lenses in the world, operates in 100 countries. Some of its best known brands are Varilux, Crizal, Definity, Xperio, Optifog.

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Beiersdorf

Industry: Household/Personal Care

Founded: 1882

Sales: $7.97 billion

Employees: 16,605

Headquarters: Hamburg, Germany

Overall rank: 24

Beiersdorf, the German-based company produces and sells personal care products all across the world. Some of its well-known brands are Nivea, Elastoplast, Labello and Aquaphor.

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Grifols

Industry: Biotechs

Founded: 1940

Sales: $3.46 billion

Employees: 11,108

Headquarters: Barcelona, Spain

Overall rank: 25

Grifols, which operates in more than 90 countries around the world, produces blood plasma-based products and sells devices and instruments to laboratories.