The difference between patent holders and engineering companies
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These days, there is a lot of talk about engineering companies transforming into patent holders. So what is the difference between engineering companies and patent holders?
Patent holders possess proprietary technology and earn money by selling it; the process package is their deliverable. Engineering companies make money by engineering the process technologies of patent holders, handling design, procurement, and construction. Some engineering companies are eager to explore new ideas; by utilizing information from various patent holders, they can develop their own unique technologies and thus achieve higher profits. Others, on the other hand, rely primarily on efficient project execution to earn additional profits
Patent holders usually focus on one or a few proprietary process technologies to create process packages； Engineering companies focus on the technical engineering design and EPC services within their area of expertise. An increasing number of these companies are recognizing the economic value of proprietary technologies and process packages, and as a result they are investing more in research and development to create or acquire their own process packages.
Many patent holders such as UOP and Axens are capable of providing process packages for the oil refining industry as well as carrying out engineering design work. However, the total cost for both process packages and engineering design is relatively high. As a result, many project owners choose the process packages offered by these patent holders and then hire domestic engineering companies such as SEI or Luoyang Institute to handle the engineering design, which is more cost-effective. Yet these engineering companies may not possess their own patented process packages; Luoyang Institute and SEI do have some process packages, while many other engineering companies do not have any patented process packages of their own
Your perspective is ten years out of date; today, domestic engineering companies place great emphasis on innovation and research and development. It can be said that the vast majority of such companies possess their own patents and/or process packages.