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3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company)

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Worker monitoring a machine inside the 3M plant in New Ulm, July 1974. Public domain. From the records of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 1944–2006, National Archives record group 412.

Worker monitoring a machine inside the 3M plant in New Ulm, July 1974. Public domain. From the records of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 1944–2006, National Archives record group 412.

From its early beginnings on Lake Superior’s North Shore to its legacy of innovative manufacturing in St. Paul, 3M—formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company—has introduced both consumer and industrial products that have been successfully marketed worldwide.

3M was founded in 1902 in Two Harbors, Minnesota. Prospectors were attracted to the reported wealth of minerals in northern Minnesota due to the rich deposits of iron ore found in the region. 3M’s founders sought to mine corundum, a material used in sandpaper. However, they found that their deposit contained the mineral anorthosite rather than corundum, and the mining plans were abandoned. After this setback, the company moved to nearby Duluth, where it sought to manufacture abrasive products. Lucius Ordway Jr. made huge investments in 3M and eventually encouraged the company to move its factory to St. Paul.

While Ordway’s constant “angel” investments rescued 3M from financial failure, new personnel were hired to invigorate the company and build relationships with customers. William McKnight, a bookkeeper at the company who later became president in 1929, spearheaded efforts to emphasize quality control. He also hired Archibald Bush to lead sales of 3M’s products. In 1916, 3M turned its first profit after creating its first unique product: Three-M-ite abrasive cloth. Following this long-awaited success, the company returned its first dividend to its shareholders.

In St. Paul, 3M management fostered a culture of innovation and scientific discovery. To encourage employees to develop new products, the company instituted a “15 percent rule,” which allowed scientists to spend 15 percent of their working hours on independent projects. Many of 3M’s most recognizable products were developed through independent study at 3M’s facilities. These include Sasheen ribbon, a decorating ribbon, and Tartan Track and Turf, the first artificial running track and turf ever developed. Another innovative 3M institution was the 3M Technical Forum, created in 1951. The forum was designed to allow technical employees of the company to collaborate, educate, and learn from other employees who often worked on wildly different products.

While the two most notable 3M consumer products are likely Scotch Tape and Post-it Notes, there are many other products that 3M has pioneered—some even by accident. In 1953, lab technicians Patsy Sherman and Joan Mullen were working on fluorochemical rubber particles when Mullen accidentally dropped a beaker of the fluid on her shoes. Finding it impossible to get the fluid off of Mullen’s shoes, Sherman found that this was an opportunity she could develop further. A few years later, Scotchgard fabric protector was introduced, and Sherman continued to improve the still-popular product throughout her career.

3M’s developments had far-reaching impacts on various industries, including office supplies and entertainment. 3M’s Thermo-Fax was the first photocopier produced, debuting in 1950. While more advanced photocopiers have since been developed, the Thermo-Fax revolutionized office productivity and communication. 3M also produced more than just masking tape in their Scotch Tape product line—Scotch Sound and Video Magnetic Recording Tapes both allowed music and television shows, respectively, to be pre-recorded rather than produced live. In the 1980s, 3M was even honored with Emmy and Academy Awards for their developments in magnetic film for videotapes and improvements in film soundtracks.

As 3M expanded into more industries, the company sought to enter the global market in the 1950s. 3M and its competitors created a joint corporation that could compete with foreign corporations, but this venture was soon dismantled due to anti-trust laws. 3M used components left over from that operation to streamline their own international network, and throughout the 1950s, 3M opened operations in twelve different countries. In the next decade, 3M opened operations in twenty-three more countries—at least one on every continent except Antarctica. This early and sustained expansion allowed 3M to strengthen its footing in a global market, and it helped make 3M one of America’s largest corporations.

While Scotch Tape and Post-it Notes might be 3M’s most recognizable products, the company has developed solutions for many different purposes and industries. Reflective street signs, specialized stoplights, Thinsulate thermal insulation, and Scotch-Brite cleaning pads are just a few of the many more innovations that have helped turn this fledgling mining company into a Fortune 500 global corporation.

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3M Company. 100: A Century of Innovation. St. Paul: 3M Company, 2002.

3M Company. 3M History.
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/about-3m/history

Bloom, Loralee J. “Mining the Archives.” Minnesota History 58, no. 3 (Fall 2002): 162–167.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/58/v58i03p162-167.pdf

Huck, Virginia. Brand of the Tartan: the 3M Story. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1955.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company [3M Company]. Our Story So Far: Notes from the First 75 Years at 3M. St. Paul: 3M Company, 1977.

Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording. 3M Manufacturer Profile.
https://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/Manufacturers3M.html

Related Images

Worker monitoring a machine inside the 3M plant in New Ulm, July 1974. Public domain. From the records of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 1944–2006, National Archives record group 412.
Worker monitoring a machine inside the 3M plant in New Ulm, July 1974. Public domain. From the records of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 1944–2006, National Archives record group 412.
3M-brand Scotch Tape produced in the 1960s. The iconic brand became one of 3M’s most notable products.
3M-brand Scotch Tape produced in the 1960s. The iconic brand became one of 3M’s most notable products.
This sample of anorthosite was mined by 3M in the corporation’s earliest era. The corporation intended to mine corundum for sandpaper manufacturing, but anorthosite was found instead. This led to a transformation in the corporation’s structure and a transition from mining to manufacturing.
This sample of anorthosite was mined by 3M in the corporation’s earliest era. The corporation intended to mine corundum for sandpaper manufacturing, but anorthosite was found instead. This led to a transformation in the corporation’s structure and a transition from mining to manufacturing.
Three-M-ite sample collection, 1935. 3M’s first profitable product was Three-M-ite, a flexible sandpaper. Here, Three-M-ite was packaged as a sample so prospective buyers could see the product.
Three-M-ite sample collection, 1935. 3M’s first profitable product was Three-M-ite, a flexible sandpaper. Here, Three-M-ite was packaged as a sample so prospective buyers could see the product.
St. Paul’s 3M plant after an explosion, 1951. On February 8 of that year, a break in a gas line caused an explosion at 3M’s facility in St. Paul, killing thirteen employees and damaging various departments and laboratories throughout the complex.
St. Paul’s 3M plant after an explosion, 1951. On February 8 of that year, a break in a gas line caused an explosion at 3M’s facility in St. Paul, killing thirteen employees and damaging various departments and laboratories throughout the complex.
St. Paul Abrasives plant, ca. 1955. Located on a large complex in St. Paul, the plant was one section of 3M’s global manufacturing headquarters.
St. Paul Abrasives plant, ca. 1955. Located on a large complex in St. Paul, the plant was one section of 3M’s global manufacturing headquarters.
A mother and her daughter wrap gifts with Sasheen ribbon in this ca. 1955 advertisement for 3M.
A mother and her daughter wrap gifts with Sasheen ribbon in this ca. 1955 advertisement for 3M.
Thermo-Fax copying machine, 1958. The Thermo-Fax was the first photocopier marketed in the United States. While it has since been made obsolete by more advanced products, it had major impacts on office communication.
Thermo-Fax copying machine, 1958. The Thermo-Fax was the first photocopier marketed in the United States. While it has since been made obsolete by more advanced products, it had major impacts on office communication.
3M’s Sasheen decorative ribbon, ca. 1960. The ribbon was created as a result of failed adhesive tape, and it helped expand the gift wrapping industry.
3M’s Sasheen decorative ribbon, ca. 1960. The ribbon was created as a result of failed adhesive tape, and it helped expand the gift wrapping industry.
3M headquarters in Maplewood, ca. 1960. Early in the 1960s, 3M moved their headquarters from St. Paul to nearby Maplewood, where they remain today.
3M headquarters in Maplewood, ca. 1960. Early in the 1960s, 3M moved their headquarters from St. Paul to nearby Maplewood, where they remain today.
3M employee at work in New Ulm, 1974. 3M had (and has, as of 2019) a factory in New Ulm that built electrical parts. Public domain.
3M employee at work in New Ulm, 1974. 3M had (and has, as of 2019) a factory in New Ulm that built electrical parts. Public domain.
Thinsulate sample, 1987. The material, a moveable thermal layer, revolutionized the active outerwear industry.
Thinsulate sample, 1987. The material, a moveable thermal layer, revolutionized the active outerwear industry.
3M’s Nexcare bandages, ca. 2001.
3M’s Nexcare bandages, ca. 2001.
3M factory water tower, ca. 2001. Water towers were a visible part of 3M’s large factory facilities. This water tower was located in Gorseinon, Wales, United Kingdom. Photograph by Wikimedia Commons user Nigel Davies.
3M factory water tower, ca. 2001. Water towers were a visible part of 3M’s large factory facilities. This water tower was located in Gorseinon, Wales, United Kingdom. Photograph by Wikimedia Commons user Nigel Davies.
3M’s Maplewood headquarters in 2018. Photograph by Wikimedia Commons user Acroterion.
3M’s Maplewood headquarters in 2018. Photograph by Wikimedia Commons user Acroterion.
Color image of an early version of a Post-it Note, 1986.
Color image of an early version of a Post-it Note, 1986.

Turning Point

On August 11, 1916, 3M finally emerges from debt after a rough fourteen years since incorporation. In those fourteen years, the company’s intended mineral deposit turned out to be useless, essential materials were damaged in transit, and sales were floundering or nonexistent. After the company introduces Three-M-ite, an abrasive cloth, the company makes a profit and pays dividends to its investors.

Chronology

1902

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company is founded in the North Shore community of Two Harbors. The company aims to mine corundum for grinding wheels and sandpaper.

1905

After discovering that their deposit was a useless rock rather than corundum, the company is bought by investors Edgar Ober and John Dean and moved to Duluth to manufacture sandpaper instead.

1910

Lucius Ordway, a St. Paul investor, saves the company from failure by investing heavily in manufacturing and moving its factory to St. Paul.

1916

Buoyed by increased demand during World War I and the success of Three-M-ite cloth, 3M turns its first profit and moves its headquarters to St. Paul.

1921

3M, under William McKnight, acquires the Wetordry waterproof sandpaper patent and hires its inventor, Francis Okie.

1925

Richard Drew—while working on improving Wetordry—invents a masking tape for use in the auto industry, the first product in the legendary Scotch Tape line.

1937

3M’s Central Research Lab is founded by Richard Carlton. An early success of this lab was a reflective material for street signs that is standard today.

1946

3M is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. A decade later, the company joins the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

1956

Scotchgard, a fabric protector, is brought to the consumer market. Two years later, Scotch-Brite cleaning pads are introduced.

1961

Scotch Magic tape is introduced. The next year, 3M moves into a brand new headquarters near St. Paul in the suburb of Maplewood.

1979

3M introduces Thinsulate, a light, movable insulator that revolutionized outdoor winterwear.

1980

Post-it notes are brought to the consumer market after a development period headed by Art Fry, a 3M developer.

2002

3M changes its official name from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company to 3M Company.

2018

3M agrees to pay $850 million to settle a lawsuit introduced by the State of Minnesota. The state alleged that the company heavily polluted waters near its research facilities in St. Paul and Maplewood.