Scotch Tape, Post-it... All '3M' Inventions [Hidden Industry Story]

3M Produces Various Products from Office Supplies to Adhesives and Films
Started as a Small American Mining Company... Now a Major Corporation with 120 Years of History
Research and Development Focused, Corporate Culture Encouraging Employee Creativity
Created Innovative Products like Scotch Tape and Post-it Notes

3M logo, a global manufacturing company headquartered in the United States / Photo by Wikipedia

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Scotch Tape, Post-it. Both are essential office supplies commonly found in stationery stores. However, few people know that both products are proprietary brands patented by a single company. These products, regarded as great inventions that changed the 20th century, were all developed by the long-standing American manufacturing company 3M. How did 3M, which has been in business for an impressive 121 years, transform into a company leading innovation?

◆Growth through Sandpaper Sales after Mining Business Failure

In fact, 3M started not as an office supplies company but as a mining enterprise. In 1902, five businessmen including Henry S. Bryan established a corundum mining company in Minnesota, USA, which was the origin of 3M. The name 3M itself was derived from the abbreviation of 'Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing company.'

However, the ore 3M intended to mine was found to be of poor quality, causing the business to fail initially. Afterwards, 3M recruited new investors and restarted as a sandpaper company used for metal polishing. Through this process, the quality of the newly developed waterproof sandpaper was recognized, leading to significant growth. Later, 3M evolved into a global manufacturing company producing various products such as adhesives, tapes, and films.

◆Scotch Tape and Post-it Recognized for Creativity

Having gone through a tumultuous founding history, 3M has developed various products over its approximately 120-year history. Among these, Scotch Tape and Post-it are representative examples showcasing 3M's creativity. Although these two products are now common office supplies found in stationery stores, they are actually proprietary brands owned by 3M.

Scotch Tape brand developed by 3M researcher Richard Drew / Photo by 3M website capture

Scotch Tape was developed in 1930 by Richard Drew, an engineer on the 3M team. Drew came up with Scotch Tape after observing automobile factory workers struggling with sticky tape.

At the time, when painting finished cars, workers would cover specific parts of the vehicle with newspapers and secure them with tape, then remove the newspapers after painting. The problem was that the tape’s adhesive was so strong that sticky residue remained when the tape was removed.

Drew solved this problem by developing Scotch Tape based on transparent cellophane with just the right adhesive strength. Scotch Tape became wildly popular in factories, offices, and many other places. During the Great Depression in the 1930s, it was reportedly widely used to fix torn pages in books.

Another product demonstrating the originality of 3M researchers is the Post-it. In 1968, Spencer Silver, an engineer at 3M, was focused on developing a super-strong adhesive that would never fall off but instead invented an adhesive that was too weak and easily detached.

Arthur Fry from 3M, who developed Post-it Notes / Photo by Wikipedia capture

This adhesive was forgotten for six years until 1974, when Arthur Fry, another researcher at the same company, had the idea of using it as bookmarks or memo notes, bringing it back into the spotlight. Initially, 3M called this product with weak adhesive on paper 'Stick Notes,' but from 1980, it was sold nationwide in the U.S. under the name Post-it.

◆'15% Rule'... A Corporate Culture Encouraging Innovation

3M’s operation of a successful business for over a century is no coincidence. 3M’s success lies in a corporate culture that encourages innovation and a business strategy centered on research and development (R&D).

3M adheres to three core corporate management philosophies: innovation, diversification, and worker support. 3M prioritizes the development of so-called 'game changers' that completely overturn market competition, focusing on diversifying these technologies rather than confining them to a single product. Additionally, it generously supports workers, especially researchers, so they can develop technologies in the best possible environment.

Because of this, 3M employees were able to present the 'counterintuitive product' Post-it even with a failed adhesive, and today, the company has expanded its activities beyond office supplies into various fields such as chemicals and electronics.

A 3M researcher engrossed in research and development / Photo by 3M website capture

3M’s unique innovation ecosystem can also be seen in its distinctive corporate culture known as the '15% Rule.' The 15% Rule encourages all 3M employees to spend 15% of their total working hours focusing on unique experiments or their own projects. This 15% time is free time granted solely to employees without the need to report to supervisors.

The 15% Rule has been in operation for nearly 70 years since the 1950s. Arthur Fry’s Post-it idea is also known to have emerged during brainstorming under the 15% Rule.

Today, 3M is still considered one of the most innovative companies in the world. In 2011, a global management consulting firm, Booz & Company, surveyed 700 businesspeople and ranked 3M as the world’s third most innovative company, following Apple and Google.

Moreover, in 2019, 3M was listed among the 'Most Innovative Companies' by the American business magazine Fast Company.