3M-inent thinking

It’s an auspicious day in 3M’s calendar: the 25th birthday of the Post-it note, and Christiaan Persoon, the company’s UK research director is both delighted and relieved to meet The Engineer.

Having spent most of the morning chatting to the BBC about what is perhaps his firm’s most iconic product, he’s glad of the opportunity to remind someone that while it may enjoy legendary status, the humble Post-it is but a tiny part of an organisation with tentacles in pretty much any industry you care to mention.

3M has come a long way from its roots. Originally known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing company, it was founded in 1902 to mine deposits of corundum, a mineral used in the manufacture of sandpaper. After an early setback the founders switched from mining to manufacturing and the rest, as they say, is history.

Today 3M is an $18bn (£9bn) multinational developer and manufacturer of adhesives, abrasives, tapes and host of other materials that are used by everyone from space agencies to medical equipment designers.