3M

An American innovative manufacturing company that produces the widest range of all kinds of products (such companies are called diversified) - for the most part, these are all kinds of little things that are used daily at home and in the office: adhesive tapes, sponges for washing, notepads, various little things for graphic work, recordable optical discs, and once floppies. It also produces medical equipment, cables and wires, safety and protection equipment, materials for car repair, goods necessary for production and construction ... The list goes on.

3M owns several world famous brands. The most famous of them scotch (adhesive tapes) and post-it (bright self-adhesive papers for reminders, linked together in the form of notebooks).

The history of 3M began in 1902 in the city of Two Harbors, which is located in the state of Minnesota, USA (Two Harbors, Minnesota, US). Now the head office of the company is located in Maplewood, a city from the same state, where it was decided to move 15 years after its founding.

The company was founded by five businessmen - Henry Bryan, Hermon Cable, John Dwan, William McGonagle and Danley Budd.

Named originally Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, the company was mining. She mined a stone that was used for grinding wheels (conduit), was engaged in abrasive materials and sandpaper. In 1925, a significant event occurs - “Scottish duct tape” or, more simply, scotch tape, appears on sale. This product has become so familiar that the word "scotch" already called adhesive tapes from all manufacturers. The inventor of duct tape was a young company lab assistant named Richard Drew. Since then, the diversification of the company began. That's when the brand is born. 3M, as an abbreviation for the company's main name, from which the three capital "M"s were taken.

Initially, adhesive tape was only paper. Drew invented it by looking at how artists paint cars multiple colors by eye. Later, adhesive tape was also developed based on cellophane tape, which made it possible to significantly expand the range of its application.

Its products were actively used on the fields of the Second World War. Throughout its history, the company has been actively engaged in research, presenting the world with more and more innovative products. Magnetic tapes for sound recording, color copiers, various thermal films and insulation ... To describe in detail all the innovations, more than one article will be required, even if we consider them superficially. By the way, the brand post-it was born in 1980. Moreover, initially the company's management perceived this idea as meaningless. But still it was decided to put a trial batch on the market. The result, as we see, exceeded all expectations.

To date, the number of manufactured items of goods has already exceeded 50 thousand and continues to increase. The company employs tens of thousands of people around the world. Representations 3M located in many countries of the world, including Russia. Relentless research is being carried out in dozens of laboratories, and who knows what other interesting inventions await us in the near future.