3M

This article is about the American company, for the Russian company involved in a pyramid scheme, see MMM (pyramid)

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3M Company (formerly Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company until 2002) is an American corporation with a worldwide presence that produces over 55,000 products, including adhesives, abrasives, laminates, electronic circuits and displays, and pharmaceuticals.

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The company was established in Two Harbors, Minnesota in 1902, then moved to Duluth, Minnesota, and finally moved to its current headquarters in Maplewood (a St. Paul suburb) in 1910. The company's early innovations include waterproof sandpaper (early 1920s) and masking tape (1925), as well as cellophane tape and sound deadening materials for metal-frame cars in the years that followed.

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During the early 1940s, the 3M worked primarily on defense materials, and this led to the release of several new products, such as reflective sheeting, magnetic sound recording tape, and offset printing plates. Scotchguard Fabric Protector and videotape were released in the 1950s, and the 1960s brought photographic and health care products. And in 1980, the company introduced Post-it notes.

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3M was involved in some of the first digital audio recordings of the late 1970s to see commercial release when a prototype machine was brought to the Sound 80 studios in neighboring Minneapolis. In 1996, the company's data storage and imaging divisions were spun off as Imation Corporation; Imation has since sold its imaging and photographic film businesses to concentrate on storage.

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Today, 3M is one of the 30 companies included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (added on August 9, 1976), and is ranked number 105 on the 2004 Fortune 500 listing.

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The company has 136 plants and over 67,000 employees around the world, with sales offices in 197 countries. The vast majority of the company's employees are local nationals – that is, very few employees reside outside their home country. Its worldwide sales amount to over $20 billion, with its international sales reaching 58% of that total.

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2002: 2002(MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was designated the:...

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Corporation: A corporation is a legal entity (distinct from a natural person) that often has similar rights in law to those of a natural person. Civil law systems may refer to corporations as "moral persons;" they may also go by the name "AS" (anonymous society) or something similar, depending on language (see ...