From sandpaper to sticky notes: 3M as our little known daily companion

Dr. Ashish Khandpur, 3M Senior VP for Research and Development, Chief Technology Officer. Image 3M

Upon hearing the brand name 3M, what most of us think about are office supplies like Post-Its and the ever-reliable Scotch Tape. But few are actually aware that 3M has its hands into other industries, and ones that serve heavier customer needs such as infrastructure, construction, automotive and health care.

An interview with Dr. Ashish K. Khandpur,  senior vice president for research and development, and chief technology officer of the company, shed light on just how much 3M has been a part of daily consumer lives, with us none the wiser.

For starters, Dr. Ashish mentioned that 3M finds a lot of opportunity in the Philippines when it comes to health care, infrastructure and construction. The company is currently working with the Department of Health to introduce modern health care practices to nurses. These include protocols on infection prevention in hospitals and wound care management.

With the current challenges on health care in the Philippines, a partnership between DOH and 3M may actually help bring international standards to the local health care system. For example, the public can immensely benefit with better infection prevention in hospitals and wound management.

Drivers might be surprised that 3M is also involved with the E-pass system. In this case, the technology used for for the RF strip attached to a car’s windshield comes from 3M. The company also provides reflective tapes and other materials used on street signs to make them glow at night when light from vehicles hit them.

Dr. Ashish mentioned, “We can provide E-tolling, RFID-based solutions for taking tolls and ideally reduce congestion which leads to better traffic management.”

Putty used in evening out car body dents is also produced by 3M. Interestingly, this product came about from technology used to create an adhesive for dental fillings.

In the infrastructure and construction industry, sand paper is one of their most prominent and oldest product. 3M has been selling sandpaper for as long as the company has existed. The technology for it came from a serendipitous incident that made this former mining company (yes, 3M was originally a mining company, which mined non-profitable ore) into what it is today. Leveraging on their sandpaper technology, 3M also created abrasive discs used for polishing and finishing.

Beyond sandpaper, 3M makes safety harnesses, safety masks, safety goggles and other tools used by construction personnel.

“When you’re dealing with concrete and cement, dust protection for the workers’ safety becomes important,” adds Dr. Ashish. 3M also makes epoxy for sealing pipes as well as anti-corrosion solutions and polyurethane construction sealants.

Simply put there is far too many products to list down from this company and so much of it is utilized on a daily basis. Just take the Scotch-Brite. Yes, they made that, too. JB