Trip to 3M

3M

Before the trip, I knew that 3M manufactures the Post-It products, tapes and glues, but I did not know that the company also provides a variety of items for various industries. From prior research and the corporate video, I learned that 3M not only produces paper-related products but also manufactured goods in three main categories of adhesives, abrasives and tapes. Even though this might seem like it would require a lot of work to create and manufacture tens of thousands of products, the plant manager shared with us that knowledge, insights, expertise and resources could be applicable across disciplines. For example, the tapes used in video tapes and adhesive tapes could be similar in the way they are manufactured. Similarly, in today’s scientific community, collaboration has become extremely important for research to be carried out effectively and successfully. One example would be how researchers from around the world contributed to the cure of SARS in 2003-2004.

The corporate video also tells us of the wide range of products the company manufactures, from car polish to sandpaper to water filters. It is important to invest and create products in various fields to sustain and boost the company’s growth as specializing in only one field is dangerous. In the individual fields, the company has many competitors, yet as a whole it is an indomitable company.

After watching the video, we had a tour of the plant in Woodlands. We saw a clean room that had yellow light, machinery and employees in bunny suits. I learnt from the plant manager that the yellow light was to prevent ultraviolent rays from damaging the raw materials, and that the bunny suits were to ensure that no human waste contaminated the products. In terms of cleaning and keeping the room clean, design and maintenance were important factors. For example, the machinery did not have paint on it for it to flake, and there were panels at the top of the ceiling to ensure that there was laminar flow of air. From physics, I learnt that continuous flow of air in the room will let dust settle to the bottom. Hence, lateral flow plays an important part in keeping the clean room clean. In addition, the lockers had sloped roofs, which was to ensure that items could not be placed at the top of the lockers, which I found was an innovative way to solve the problem of junk items accumulating there.

At the end of the day, I learnt how a factory looks like and I was rather impressed by the fact that it operated 24/7, like how a cell is a microcosm of a manufacturing plant.