3D Systems Ranks in Top 20 of Forbes Magazine’s Most Innovative Growth Companies

Forbes published its list of 100 Most Innovative Growth Companies recently. Three-dimensional printing company 3D Systems came in at no. 13 on the the company’s list, which focuses on firms with a market capitalization under $10 billion.

Forbes releases the list annually and uses a formula called the Innovation Premium to figure out which companies make the cut. According to Forbes, the Innovation Premium is calculated in the following way:

“It is calculated first by projecting a company’s income (cash flows, in this case) from existing businesses, plus anticipated growth from those businesses, and look at the net present value (NPV) of those cash flows. We compare the NPV of cash flows from existing businesses with a current market capitalization: Companies with a current market cap above the NPV of cash flows have an innovation premium built into their stock. You can read a more detailed explanation of our work around innovative companies and leaders in our book The Innovators DNA (Harvard Business Press, 2011), written with Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen.”

Though Forbes ranked the companies based on its Innovation Premium, the list also includes each company’s five-year average sales growth, five-year average net income, enterprise value and industry.President and chairman of 3D Systems Avi Reichental said of the achievement,

“Ranking 13 on this distinguished Forbes’ list of the most innovative companies underscores our commitment to accelerated innovations that advance 3D printing 2.0 targets. “We are committed to making 3D printing affordable, fast and capable of meeting the most demanding performance requirements for a wide range of industrial manufacturing cases, personalized healthcare applications as well as desktop design and consumer needs.”

3D Systems is one of the most recognized names in 3D printing. The company manufactures 3D printers, print materials and custom parts for professionals and consumers. It also provides integrated 3D scan-based design, free-form modeling and inspection tools, as well as biomedical tools.

3D Systems has a history of being innovative. The company invented 3D printing by developing the Stereolithography printer. Since that time, the company has gone on to create at least three other technologies—Selective Laser Sintering, Color-Jet-Printing and Multi-Jet-Printing–that have changed the face of 3D printing. Do you think that 3D Systems deserves this recognition?  Are any other additive manufacturing companies also worthy of making Forbes’  list?  Let us know in the 3D Systems innovation forum thread on 3DPB.com.  More information on the innovation taking place at 3D Systems can be found in the video provided below.