What Kind Of Magic Company Is 3M (MMM.US) That Produces Red Masks?

In this worried day, masks have become a recognized hard currency. Taobao sells 80 million masks in two days. Many manufacturers have announced that they will return to work ahead of schedule, but masks are still in short supply, especially the most popular 3M (MMM.US) KN95/N95 mask. In the face of the epidemic, the dedication of many people has been highlighted. At the same time, 3M mask maker has also received unprecedented attention. In January 22nd, 3M China CEO announced that the factory was operating at full capacity and 7 x 24 hours to ensure full supply of masks. 3M is a company. When we fight against the virus, why do we choose to trust its products?

History is always strikingly similar. When people compared the epidemic with the SARS of 2003, few people noticed that the 3M mask was the first time in China to shine brilliantly, during the period of SARS. At that time, gauze and cotton masks were prevalent. They had little effect on virus isolation. WHO advocated the use of N95 masks. 3M, a leader in this field, has entered the field of vision of ordinary people. In 2013, northern China was plagued by haze. 3M masks were once again successful because of their excellent filtration performance.

It is at this time that the mask, which is often regarded as "no technical content" by many people, shows its technical connotation. Take this N95 mask as an anti epidemic explosive product. The essence is "5 layer mask made of polypropylene non-woven fabric SMMMS, which can filter 95% fine particles". If the material does not meet the requirements, the number of layers will not be able to filter small viruses. If the mask can not fit the face closely, then the mask will have little effect.

3M respirators can be recognized by many professionals, and also related to its solid skills in these two aspects.

As early as 1967, 3M began producing masks. At that time, 3M developed the know-how of non-woven fabrics and electrostatic fiber filter, and was trying to develop products based on this technology. An ordinary employee was inspired by the disposable underwear of women. He suggested that he could develop something on his mouth and nose, protect workers in bad working environment such as mining and smelting, and 3M mask came into being.

Although at that time, the emergence of the 3M mask was only an inconspicuous one in the endless commercial invention of 3M company, but it was also a small invention, which not only reflected the management style of 3M company, but also revealed the secret of 3M company's Evergreen Foundation.

People who have seen 3M masks must be familiar with its "simple and unadorned" appearance. They are generally white in appearance. They can be clearly marked with black typefaces on their masks. If they are N95, this type of stickers should be highly stickable. After wearing them, they will leave a few deep marks, which are beautiful and fashionable. For decades, the material used in 3M masks keeps pace with the times, but the appearance is always the same. Obviously, when designing such products, 3M has never considered the aesthetic problem at all. Its main customers are factories, and its core requirement is professional. 3M knows very well that when workers are working in full swing, they have no space to sculpt.

3M's familiarity with the industrial environment stems from its early entrepreneurial experience. Contrary to many people's expectation, the 3M, the first in the field of masks, was not a technology company at first, but a failed mining company.

In 1902, 5 young people from Minnesota, United States, gathered together to prepare a mining company to mine the rich corundum ore and produce common industrial grinding wheels. The name of the company was taken away. It was called Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co, or 3M for short. However, even though they were stepping on the draught, the 5 young men could not fly. After spending 2 years, they didn't dig corundum at all. They only got some calcium feldspar, which was soft and could not do anything.

Just as 3M was on the verge of bankruptcy, a bold businessman gave them an investment and suggested that they should change places to buy raw materials for producing sandpaper. The young entrepreneurs took the investment and took the investment. They moved to a new place and built a two storey sandpaper factory. The embarrassment was that the factory collapsed before it was built because of lack of experience. This experience is called "humble start" by 3M company, and it also makes them especially concerned about technology and quality problems.

Fortunately, after the factory was built, 3M company felt the knack of starting a business. By producing sandpaper, 3M accumulated the first pot of gold, but they were not satisfied. In those days, the hottest industry in the United States was the automobile industry. 3M set up a laboratory early, often sent researchers to the car factory to test new products, and to collect the needs of manufacturers. 3M has made many kinds of car manufacturers, including one kind of waterproof sandpaper, which can be used in water, which greatly reduces the friction between air and dust on the automobile surface, making 3M company a hit in the industry.

In addition to improving products, 3M's researchers are always keeping an eye on problems that manufacturers have not noticed in the process of squatting at the car factory. For example, a researcher found that when the car was painted, it was difficult to cover parts. After returning to the company, he threw himself into the problem and eventually invented the tape. According to the consistent thinking of 3M company, the adhesive tape technology did not stagnate because of the success of a product. Soon, 3M invented the world's first transparent tape, matte tape, medical anti allergy adhesive tape, and even the first convenient post. Glue related product line is still one of 3M's profit pillars.

Many people think that capitalists squeeze every residual value on the workers, but 3M has another way to extract surplus value in every technology, and strive to develop as many products as possible in the technology they have already grasped. To this end, 3M has invested at least 7% of its annual revenue in R & D department. This is a "stupid effort", but it has far-reaching effects. In the field of industrial products in the to B terminal, the influence and discourse power of 3M company are also growing because of the increasingly rapid pace of innovation.

The invention of 3M masks and tapes is only 2 of the more than 6.7 inventions that 3M has successfully commercialized in the past 118 years. Some people may have discovered that these 2 inventions are accidental discoveries by 3M employees, but they have been supported by the company, so that they have been successfully developed and put into production. How to make employees have the energy to explore and find their needs after completing their daily work, and 3M company has gone through a detour.

In the American management circle, the "Six Sigma" management theory, which is highly standardized and zero defect, has long been popular, especially the manufacturing giant such as GE. 3M also used it for a while, but it turned out to be lower cost and lower R & D efficiency. Before long, 3M realized that the "Six Sigma" theory is suitable for production management, but it does not apply to technology driven teams. People are not machines, nor can innovation be quantified by tables.

In order to stimulate the enthusiasm of employees, 3M also put forward the corresponding "stupid way": the 15% principle, allowing employees to spend 15% of their working hours to ponder what they are interested in, that is, "private life" which has nothing to do with work.

3M has deliberately issued a rule that if the employee has a good idea and wants to spend some time studying, he can refuse the order of the laboratory director, and the management should also turn a blind eye to it. Even if the plan finally fails, the management can not lose patience. Instead, he should protect the plan and ensure that the staff can not be accused of outsiders. This plan has achieved remarkable results and has deeply influenced many Silicon Valley enterprises such as Google.

At this point, we have to mention 3M's unique "innovation team" structure. In 3M, the innovation team is like the hexagon in the honeycomb. It is the core and the most basic unit. It consists of a researcher, a manufacturing worker, a market developer, a salesperson and a financial personnel. In this smallest unit, creativity is the core requirement, and all efforts are for the final landing of a good idea. Some of these innovation teams focus on technology, while others often deal with customers.

The managers of 3M think that after 1990s, innovation becomes more and more difficult. Most products belong to improved products. To seek innovation, we must focus on a group of "leading users", that is, enterprises and individuals who go far ahead in the industry and walk before the market trend. Therefore, many innovative teams of 3M will visit customers, understand data and analyze potential needs.

The 15% principles and innovation teams are based on the extremely flat structure of 3M company, which runs counter to popular management knowledge. When many companies are using people as tools, 3M has abandoned such control and has achieved great success. In the more than 100 years since its establishment, 3M has set up laboratories in 34 countries, with more than 100 thousand patents, averaging 3 new products every 2 days, over 6000 categories, serving more than 200 countries, and 50% people in the world are exposed to its products every day.

In 2019, 3M ranked 380th among the top 500 in the world. The 100 year old stores in the world top 500 are not uncommon, but at the same time, they can enter the list of the ten most innovative companies in the world. 3M's unique management methods are indispensable.

The epidemic is threatening, and masks are becoming the most popular materials. Many people believe that the market for masks has risen sharply. But in fact, masks are only a small part of 3M's product line. Just as 3M China CEO announces full capacity production of masks, 3M is announcing that it will lay off 1500 people because of its weak manufacturing industry in recent years, which is the second layoffs in ten months. With the first death case of the new crown virus in the United States, sales of 3M masks in the US have also risen sharply. However, the share price of 3M has started to decline, and the market is pessimistic and the uncertainty is increasing.

As a centenary store, 3M has gone through two world wars. It has also experienced the Great Depression of 1930s and several economic crises since then. Throughout the 3M company's burst of innovation and the rapid expansion of its size, there are no stable times. 3M's slogan is "technology improves life". Conversely, "life promotes science and technology" is also a must. Without a stable and open world, the company will gradually become anoxic. So what can we do to improve our life?

In the face of technological innovation, both companies and consumers are beneficiaries, but there are no winners, only comrades in arms.