As part of our twenty-fifth anniversary, we asked manufacturers to reflect on the most significant products of the past quarter century.

As you might imagine, all the senior executives picked one of their own products. But some patterns also emerged. Some simply named their current flagship as the pinnacle of the company’s R&D history so far. But we were also interested to hear about the products that have been significant for the company’s history, because they represented major challenges to develop, were risky expansions into new territory or ultimately moved the whole industry forward.

In each instance, we asked for a personal choice, rather than what might be the official company line. And, if they couldn’t narrow it down to one, we were happy to hear the rationale for other products they thought were significant.