3M
Science Applied to Life Across Safety, Industrial, and Consumer Markets
About
3M is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1902 and headquartered in Maplewood, Minnesota. The company operates across four business segments: Safety and Industrial, Transportation and Electronics, Healthcare, and Consumer. In the industrial and safety sectors, 3M manufactures respirators, hearing protection, fall protection harnesses, safety eyewear, adhesives, abrasives, industrial tapes, and personal protective equipment. The company holds over 100,000 patents worldwide and produces more than 60,000 products. With approximately 95,000 employees and operations in over 70 countries, 3M is one of the most diversified manufacturers in the world. Its industrial product lines include Scotch-Brite abrasives, 3M Cubitron ceramic abrasives, VHB structural adhesive tapes, and Peltor hearing protection systems. The company invests approximately 6% of annual revenue in research and development.
About This Brand
3M was founded in 1902 in Two Harbors, Minnesota, as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. Originally established to mine corundum for grinding wheels, the company pivoted to sandpaper production after discovering its mineral deposits were of insufficient quality. This early setback established a pattern of innovation through adaptation that would define the company for over a century. The company's breakthrough products came in rapid succession: waterproof sandpaper in 1921, Scotch masking tape in 1925, and Scotch transparent tape in 1930. Each product line spawned new applications and markets. Post-It Notes, introduced commercially in 1980, became one of the most recognizable office products in history. The underlying adhesive technology, a pressure-sensitive microsphere adhesive, was discovered accidentally by researcher Spencer Silver in 1968. 3M's innovation model is distinctive in corporate America. The company famously allows technical staff to dedicate 15% of their time to self-directed projects. This policy has generated numerous breakthrough products and is widely cited as an inspiration for similar programs at Google and other technology companies. 3M maintains 46 core technology platforms that serve as foundations for cross-business innovation. In industrial markets, 3M's Safety and Industrial segment is the company's largest, generating over $12 billion in annual revenue. Key product families include personal safety (respirators, harnesses, eyewear), adhesives and tapes (structural bonding, surface preparation), abrasives (coated, bonded, non-woven), and closure and masking systems. The company's industrial distribution network reaches virtually every manufacturing facility in the Americas.