Siemens 2012 Annual Report Download - page 190

1 A. To our Shareholders
21 B. Corporate Governance 49 C. Combined Management Report
50 C. Business and economic environment
64 C. Financial performance measures
69 C. Results of operations
82 C. Financial position
93 C. Net assets position
95 C. Overall assessment of the economic position
96 C. Subsequent events
97 C. Sustainability
111 C. Report on expected developments and
associated material opportunities and risks

In our continuing operations, we had an average of approximate-
ly , R&D employees in Germany and approximately ,
R&D employees in  countries outside of Germany during fiscal
, including the U.S., China, Austria, India, Slovakia, Switzer-
land, the U.K., Croatia, Sweden, Denmark, Mexico, and France.
As of September , , the Company held approximately
, patents worldwide in its continuing operations, com-
pared to approximately , patents as of September ,
. In terms of the number of published patent applications
in calendar year , Siemens in total ranked third in Germany
and – for the second consecutive year – first in Europe. In
terms of the number of patents granted in the U.S., Siemens in
total ranked tenth in calendar year .
  
Germany – German Patent
and Trademark Office (DPMA) 333
Europe –
European Patent Office (EPO) 112
U.S. – United States Patent
and Trademark Office (US PTO) 10 9 13
...  &    
Our R&D activities in the Energy Sector are focused on devel-
oping processes for the efficient generation and transmission
of electrical energy. Major R&D areas in this respect are the de-
velopment of
> technologies for low-loss electricity transmission,
> advanced gas turbines that increase the efficiency and
reduce emissions of power plants,
> combined cycle power plants to increase the availability
of electricity through higher flexibility,
> wind turbine innovations,
> technologies that extract the greenhouse gas carbon
dioxide from the flue gas that occurs during fossil fuel-
fired power generation (carbon capture and storage), and
> a subsea power grid to extract deep-sea oil and natural
gas drilling economically.
Examples of research and development at Energy include Type
B rotor blades for wind turbines, each of which has a length of
 meters; this makes them, to our knowledge, the longest rotor
blades in operation in the world at the moment. At  tons, the
B is also a lightweight, as it is % to % lighter than similar
rotor blades. Heavy rotor blades are subjected to higher stress
loads and also require more massive nacelles, towers, and foun-
dations. Intelligent design and low weight therefore have a pos-
itive effect on the cost of electricity produced.
In , a combined cycle power generation island delivered
by Siemens in Irsching, Germany, proved an unprecedented net
efficiency rating of .% at an output of  megawatts. An
even more efficient combined cycle plant will soon be built in
Düsseldorf. With an anticipated efficiency rating of more than
% and a previously unattained district heating range, Siemens
expects to set new records in both categories. The total capacity
factor for natural gas as a fuel will reach around %.
High-voltage direct-current (HVDC) technology is now making
it possible to transport electricity over great distances with min-
imal losses. In , Siemens put the first overhead HVDC line
into operation with an unprecedented direct current capacity of
, volts. Siemens recently successfully tested its first
HVDC transformer technology with a voltage of . million volts.
The higher the voltage carried by HVDC cables, the lower the
transmission losses and the higher the transmission capacity.
R&D activities in our Healthcare Sector focus on meeting cus-
tomer challenges from three major trends: the world’s popula-
tion continues to grow rapidly and to get older. In addition,
older people make up a higher percentage of the population.
These trends put increasing pressure on healthcare providers
to gather more accurate diagnostic information more effi-
ciently about a wider range of potential disease conditions
and to integrate that information more effectively with treat-
ment options.
One focus area involves combining various imaging methods
that provide increasingly detailed and faster three-dimensional
insights into the body of a patient, while subjecting him or her
to less discomfort. We combine such imaging processes with
therapeutic measures, laboratory diagnostics, and information
technology to create more coordinated workflows. One exam-
ple is the world’s only fully integrated whole-body magnetic
resonance (MR) and positron emission tomography (PET) sys-
tem, Biograph mMR, which for the first time allows physicians
to simultaneously see the position of organs within the body,
their function, and their metabolism. In this way they can, for
example, see the position of a tumor, identify its type, and ob-
serve its activity.
Another focus area is automating clinical work processes and
optimizing laboratory diagnostics, which puts physicians in
a position to identify diseases even more precisely and at an
earlier stage. Physicians are then able to tailor therapies
more closely to a patient’s needs, by monitoring the effect of
medications more accurately and exploiting the evaluation
and analytical capabilities of modern computer technology.
The Sector also develops products that meet the specific, tar-
geted requirements of the healthcare systems of emerging
countries.