New Lab Will Push the Boundaries of Innovation and Collaboration
ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Innovation comes in many forms. Whether it’s a new design to make a
product more useful to the customer or a novel way to apply an emerging
technology to a real-world problem, true innovation needs support to
foster and grow.
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New 3M R&D Laboratory (Photo: Business Wire)
In the last five years, science-based company 3M has invested nearly
$8.5 billion in research and development, the symbolic heartbeat of the
company, that will help nurture fresh and innovative ideas. The company
continues to increase that investment. It now spends 5.8 percent of its
sales on R&D, up from 5.3 percent in 2011.
“Finding innovative solutions doesn’t happen by accident, you must
devote time, energy and capital to encourage a culture where people feel
empowered to look for them,” said Ashish Khandpur, 3M senior vice
president of R&D and chief technology officer. “Science is what we do,
who we are, and it’s the foundation for the incredible technology we
create and apply to enhance millions of lives around the world.”
Now, 3M is strengthening its scientific capabilities even more with the
opening of its new, state-of-the-art R&D lab at its headquarters in St.
Paul, Minn. The company is celebrating the event Friday with a ceremony
inside the nearly 470,000 square foot facility. The $150 million
investment will enhance collaboration and technology sharing even
further throughout the company, and it has many scientists excited for
the future of 3M innovation.
“This space represents an opportunity to work differently,” said Lee
Stanek, product commercialization manager, 3M Aerospace and Commercial
Transportation. “Sometimes that’s enough to cause you to think in a
different way. Just like visiting customers, you see things in new ways.
We are working in a different space, collaborating with different people
– we don’t know yet what can happen.”
The new lab will bring together scientists and researchers from multiple
3M businesses under one roof, opening up endless collaborative ways to
combine the company’s 46 technology platforms to create new and useful
solutions for customers.
Solutions like the ones Jagat Singh, senior product development engineer
for 3M Electronics Materials Solutions Division, is working on with his
team. They are developing a material to help enable longer life spans
and higher energy in batteries.
“I love the design of the new R&D building. It’s an open and inviting
space that lends itself perfectly to accommodate collaboration and
innovation,” said Singh. “As we look to the future, what excites me most
is how technology will be able to provide sustainable resources for the
growing needs of global populations, while also balancing our planet’s
future for generations to come.”
To learn more about 3M R&D and the new lab, visit the webpage: www.3m.com/researchanddevelopment
About 3M
At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily.
With $30 billion in sales, our 90,000 employees connect with customers
all around the world. Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the
world’s problems at www.3M.com
or on Twitter @3M or @3MNewsroom.
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Source: 3M