ITW Group

Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) is a diversified manufacturing company with nearly 100 years of history delivering specialised expertise, innovative thinking and value added products to meet critical customer needs in a variety of industries.

Whilst the description of us as a leading world manufacturer of diversified products is true, it is our ability to think creatively and critically for our customers, resulting in a continual stream of world class ideas and inventions, that helps set us apart. This aptitude for innovation defines the ITW culture and brand at work. Throughout our 825 business units in 52 countries, our people continually visualise process improvements, invent completely new products and applications, turn existing products and technologies into exceptional ones and craft patented breakthroughs that transform industries.

Innovation is defined as the introduction of new improvements or methods. At ITW, the customer has always served as the catalyst behind our new ideas. What does the customer need? How could the customer benefit? What can we do to help our customers improve outcomes or products, reduce inefficiencies, increase strength, shorten timeframes and create value? Answers to these questions, which result from our deep understanding of our customer's businesses, drive our ability to develop superior solutions. Our adaptability to and entrenchment in each customers success is integral to our own.

Decentralised Business Model
We believe our structure of 825 operating business units allows us to stay close to our customers and leverage intimate local market expertise to protect and foster entrepreneurial ingenuity and agility.

80/20 Business Simplification
With the steadfast application of our 80/20 business process throughout our businesses, we ensure that our primary focus stays right where it need to be, on the key 20 percent of our customers and core products that account for 80 percent of our sales. By doing so we develop more relevant products and deliver solutions that are geared towards the most important customer needs and interests.

Innovation
Innovation takes on many forms at ITW and is the by-product of our intimate understanding of what customers need and value most. Innovation appears in new products, product enhancements or market-specific modifications, process improvements, new distribution models and information and resource sharing.

For a more complete overview including our Annual Report details, please go to www.itw.com