NEW DELHI: 3M India Ltd plans to focus big on road safety products, such as variable traffic signage, which offers live directions to drivers.
“We have done projects in Bengaluru and Kolkata, and a full-scale project in Pune, with live variable signage that offers help to traffic system in the city and states and also to commuters,” Debarati Sen, managing director of 3M India Region and 3M Lanka Ltd, told Express.
Bengaluru-headquartered 3M India is the maker of products such as Scotch Brite abrasive cleaning pad used in kitchen to safety masks in industries, retro reflective products on roads, personal protective equipments like earplugs in heavy industries, bandages, sutures, dental accessories, stationery products, electrical appliances, air-conditioner filters and electronic solution in mobile phones.
“This November, we’ll launch a new product ‘Command Hooks’ to help hang mango leaves during this festive season, without the need to drill nails onto the walls and doors. It comes with adhesives that will not peel off the paint on the wall,” said Sen.
Command Hooks will be sold through Amazon.
The company has 110 research scientists in India working out of its customer innovation centre in Bengaluru and customer technical centre in Gurugram. This is in addition to analytical and electrical lab in these centres.
The company has more than 60,000 products with one lakh patents. 3M India Ltd registered Rs 2,507 crore sales turnover for 12 months ended March 31, 2017.
The variable traffic signage, after its success in India, will be sold in southeast Asia, West Asai, Africa and parts of Latin America.
Targeting double-digit growth, 3M is scouting for talent in sales and marketing in India. The company has 1,600 employees in India and 85,000 globally. But, Sen admits that skilling is a national challenge and shortage of skilled people is a concern. “The difference in the capability is quite dramatically different based on the institutes and their readiness to give talent to the companies… We as a company and our counterparts in other companies in India are worried about the talent supply we need to go for,” said Sen.
Safety training on the wheels
Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State (independent charge) for labour & employment, inaugurated ‘Audhyogik Suraksha Rath’ developed by 3M India and DGFASLI (Directorate General Factory Advice Service & Labour Institutes).
It is a self-contained fully equipped, mobile training truck that will move across India over the next three years to showcase the advantages of safe work practices aimed at educating and awareness of end users on various hazards at workplace and the ways of working safely at such workplaces. 3M's network of expert teams will also conduct safety training, and talk about prevention of injuries and disease.