Find your inner MacGyver
Remember when field trips were the best thing about going to school? These were the most anticipated out of all the school days, and it didn’t really matter where you were going, just that you were having class somewhere else. I remember trips to Balatoc Mines in Itogon, the San Roque Dam in Pangasinan, and to Corregidor. And each one was so solid — fun and educational.
That excitement about field trips died down a little when I got to college. There were more opportunities to get out of the classroom but NSTP and other things of that nature weren’t really my idea of a fun field trip. Educational, yes; rewarding, most definitely. But this isn’t exactly the coolest thing to be doing early on a weekend.
After graduating from college I figured it would be unlikely that I’d feel the field trip rush again. Nowadays all you need to do is decide where to go, put gas in your ride, and do it. After all, outside school there are no more parental consent letters or chaperones.
I was glad to relive some of the school trip vibe not too long ago on the 3M Experience Innovation Tour at the 3M Technical Customer Center in Bangkal, Makati. The facility is made up of different rooms showcasing the many areas represented by the 3M name. Aside from being very informative, the Innovation Tour is also an opportunity for 3M to show how its products are party of many aspects of our daily lives — and not just because we use Post-It Notes or Scotch Tape.
“We want to highlight 3M’s Innovation culture and showcase the products born out of that commitment to innovate,” says WS Shim, managing director of 3M Philippines. “As we open our doors to everyone, we will invite them to take that 3M Experience, touch the products, understand how they work and discover things they never would have thought to be a 3M application or product. It is a very interesting experience.”
From car wax to telephone lines. From toothpaste to spray-on carpet protector. And all the way to reflectorized traffic signs and waterproof sandpaper. The 3M brand is synonymous with innovation, and it is quite interesting to learn how 3M has infiltrated very many aspects of everyday life. The Innovation Tour is a showcase of the brand’s commitment to innovation by discovering needs and translating those needs into solutions.
The 3M Innovation Tour is open to the public by schedule, wherein students or special interest groups or businesses will be able to learn about the different applications and products that 3M has through its divisions like Abrasives, Automotive Aftermarket, Commercial Care and Occupational health & Safety (OHES), Commercial Graphics Division, Traffic and Safety Solutions, Industrial Adhesives & Tapes, Renewable Energy, Dental (3M ESPE), Communications Market, Electrical Markets, Electronic Solutions, Electronics Markets and Materials, and Food Safety and Medical.
It is interesting to note that the success of 3M does not come from the many areas of expertise within the company. Rather, it is the way that all the departments collaborate to discover applications in all their business areas. “Innovation is a combination of two things,” says WS. “It is recognizing customer needs, and at the same time making creations ‘from the seed,’ or inventing.” By doing this, 3M is able to specialize in an array of products for all of life’s situations.
The 3M Company fosters an intrinsic culture that urges collaboration between technology and business units. Their Innovation Tour is a testament to this, and it will surely wake up the dormant MacGyver in anyone.
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Email 3M at innovation@mmm.com or visit their website at www.3m.com or http://solutions.3mphilippines.com.ph. For more information about the 3M Innovation Tour, you may get in touch with them through their Makati City Office at South Superhighway corner General Lim Street Bangkal Makati City 1233 Philippines Tel: +632 887-1091, +632 887-1091 or Fax: +632 887-0987.
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E-mail me at enricomiguelsubido@gmail.com
