INDUSTRY
Minnesota Mining & Mfg.'s new central research building near St. Paul provides new laboratory space for the 200-person staff
Not Plush, but Utilitarian G o a l of Minnesota Mining's $3 million research labs is "uninhibited research" for "uninhabited markets" RESEARCH" for U NINHIBITED habited markets" should
"unin-
receive added stimulus at Minnesota Mining & Mfg. with the opening of its new $3 million central research lab in St. Paul on May 12. Central research director Carl E. Barnes describes the new faculties as "not plush, but very utilitarian." He is certainly correct on the latter point, and while the term "plush "may not apply exactly, the new laboratory most assuredly embodies the latest in modern architectural design. A liberal allotment of picture windows and a site atop the highest hill in the rolling countryside just east of St. Paul give the building an air of luxury. Total floor space of the new laboratory building is 100,000 square feet, with provision made for adding later another 130,000 square feet, if needed. Actual laboratory working space is divided into 126 basic modules 11 by 26 feet. Anywhere from one to five modules make up one laboratory, two or three being the usual number. An auditorium seating 260 people, cafeCarrells in 3M's library stack room enable researchers to lock books, notes, and other materials inside so they will not be disturbed if work is interrupted
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teria, first aid station, machine shop, and glass blowing shop round out the faculties. Captive Chemicals. To the general public 3M is probably best known through its Scotch brand cellophane tape. The automotive and b>uilding industries, however, were bigger customers than was the general consumer in 1954. Pressure sensitive and gummed tape, decorative ribbon, electrical tape, insulation products, abrasives, graphic products, roofing granules, adhesives, and coatings accounted for most of 3M's $231 million sales in 1954. Chemical manufacture at 3M is now largely captive, although the volume of chemicals sold will probably increase. In a recent organizational change, chemical activities were brought together in the chemical products group. Within this group will be trie color and acid division, located at Copley, Ohio, which makes sulfuric acid and inorganic pigments; Irvington Chemical Division at Irvington, N. J., manufacturing various products derived from cashew nut shells; and t h e plant at Hastings, Minn., making resins, varnishes, fluorochemicals and other chemicals. From "Edisonian" to Basic. For many years 3M relied on the type of research usually designated as "Kdisonian. ,, The outstanding success of the practical approach in developing new products gave the company little incentive to get into more basic investigations. In 1937, however, 3 M set up a small fundamental research group which has grown into the present central research organization employing about 200 people, of whom some 125 are technically trained. Central research is only one part of 3M's total research endeavor. Product divisions carry out their own research, and there is also a products fabrication laboratory—where some of the work is still "Edisonian." In 1954,
1200 employees were engaged in the $8-million over-all research program. Central research activities are divided into 10 major sections: analytical, applied, chemical processing, graphic arts, inorganic, organic, physical chemical, physics, polymer, and technical information. As in some other companies having large research staffs, central research carries on fundamental and long term research projects in totally unrelated fields and leads the way in the company's hunt for new products. This group also performs specialized services which the divisional research groups are not equipped to handle. A favorite topic of discussion with Barnes is 3M management's very favorable attitude toward research, an attitude natural enough for a company which gets 80 to 90% of its revenue from products developed by its research staff. Generally, 3M prefers to enter new, "uninhabited" markets rather than to expand in established fields. It recently did examine the potentialities for getting into the ammonia business at St. Paul, just to make sure it was not passing up a good bet, but finally decided it could get a better return by investing elsewhere. Part of 3M's central research philosophy is that each research man must be allowed some time to work on his own Carl E. Barnes, head of central research at 3M, believes researchers should have time to work on unassigned projects in order to make proposals to management
CHEMICAL
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CORPORATION
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Attenta · 8 o « l o n · Chicago · Cleveland · Detroit · Houston · Lot A n g t U t · N e w a r k · N e w York · San Francisco · St. l o u f t I N C A N A D A : Chemical Division, Shell O i l Company of C a n a d a , Limited · M o n t r e a l · Toronto · V a n c o u v e r
VOLUME
3 3,
NO.
20
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1955
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INDUSTRY pet ideas. This is not just idle talk— 15
