A patent per day reflects dedication to innovation

Endress+Hauser averaged one patent filing per working day in 2024, with first applications submitted for 285 inventions. The company was granted 701 patents in 2024, reflecting registrations across multiple patent offices. Its intellectual property portfolio now exceeds 9,000 active and pending patents. At its annual Innovators’ Meeting, which honours its inventors, the company introduced a new award for sustainable product development.
Endress+Hauser employees who contribute to a patent application – and last year there were over 430 of them – are invited to the company’s annual Innovators’ Meeting. This is primarily an opportunity for inventors to network and share ideas. But it is also an awards event – a time to celebrate high-output inventors and the innovators behind improved processes and the most commercially successful inventions.
This year’s Innovators’ Meeting was held at the home stadium of German Bundesliga football team SC Freiburg. “Innovation is a team sport,” Endress+Hauser’s director for IPR Dr Christine Koslowski told the assembled employees in a nod to the venue. 
“Ninety-one percent of all innovations generated in 2024 were a team effort. This is an important part of our culture of innovation, which is passed on from our experienced colleagues to new employees,” Dr Koslowski added.
At the Innovators’ Meeting, Endress+Hauser presented its first ever award for eco-design and circular economy. “We want to make our product development even more sustainable,” explained Dr Andreas Mayr, Chief Operating Officer at Endress+Hauser. “And that’s why we’re presenting awards for inventions that combine our measuring instruments’ exceptional functionality and reliability with a resource-saving and eco-friendly approach.” 
The awards went to teams whose product developments delivered measurable gains for sustainability. The winning innovations included electronics and housing designs that enable significant energy and material savings and hence reduce the company’s carbon footprint.       
Endress+Hauser actively encourages all employees to put forward ideas for inventions and improvements. “Every single innovation helps us develop as a company and offer even greater value to our customers,” said Andreas Mayr.
The Endress+Hauser Group’s spending on R&D in 2024 totalled over €275.6 million, or 7.4% of sales. The company has more than 1,300 employees working in its product development departments, and last year it brought no fewer than 81 new products to market.