Supplier Profile: 3M commits to being the customer’s first choice in PPE solutions

Tell us a little about the history of your company.

Since developing the first NIOSH-approved filtering facepiece in 1972, 3M Personal Safety Division (PSD) has been providing personal protective equipment to workers throughout the world for over 40 years.

Today, 3M is the leading brand in personal protective equipment and safety. We have local sales, marketing, technical and supply capabilities in 68 countries. In order to best meet the needs of the local marketplace, 3M has 200 manufacturing and 18 research and development facilities across the world, a number of which are located in the U.S.

What has been your company’s business strategy to gain market share?

3M PSD is committed to being the customer’s first choice in personal safety and protection solutions. To support this vision, our strategies for growth in this market include:

• the expansion of existing product lines to address different customer needs and price points

• a broadening of our overall product portfolio by leveraging 3M’s vast array of technologies and through acquisition

• increasing our range of value added services

• strengthening our customer and distributor relevance and relations

• expanding into new markets and geographies

Describe the core branded products your company promotes.

3M PSD markets a wide variety of products in categories such as: respiratory protection; hearing conservation; communication solutions; prescription and non-prescription safety eyewear; head and face protection; fall protection; body protection; welding helmets; and detection solutions.

We are proud to be one of the most recognized brands of safety products globally. Our portfolio consists of notable names such as: 3M™ Peltor™ Communications and 3M™ E-A-R™ hearing protection; 3M™ Speedglas™ Welding Helmets; and 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Materials.

How do distributors contribute to your success in the marketplace? Do you offer them training and other value added services?

3M PSD serves customers in a number of diverse markets. To bring our products and services to these accounts in a timely and professional manner, we rely on a network of safety distributors. 3M assists these distributors through its account management and customer service personnel by providing product training, marketing programs, supply chain management, technical services, and end-user support.

Do you have any recent news to report?

We have introduced a number of new products within the past few months including:

• 3M™ Rugged Comfort Reusable Respirator, 6500 Series

• Latchways Personal Rescue Device (PRD) with 3M Elavation Harness

• 3M™ H-800 Series Full Brim Hard Hat

• 3M™ Peltor™ X Series Earmuffs

• 3M™ SecureFit™ Protective Eyewear

• 3M Versaflo AP-600 Series Air Filtration Panel

• Along with several product line extensions and improvements

Describe your current financial picture.

3M PSD continues to experience growth and market share gains across all areas of the world. Strong local commitment to our customers and distributors, a robust new product pipeline, and an emphasis on providing value added services has helped us achieve these results. In addition, substantial recent investments in manufacturing enable us to better address demand surges such as those due to X-factor events.

What should distributors know about your company’s future?

We believe that the safety market, driven by changing regulations, compliance, corporate stewardship and worker education, holds strong promise for growth. As 3M looks to the future, we will continue to bring forward innovative products and services that will enable us to fulfill our commitment to being the customer’s first choice in personal safety and protection solutions.

3M Personal Safety Division; www.3M.com/PPESafety; (800) 328-1667