Market cap

* For banks, enterprise value is substituted with market cap. Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P.

Performance of the brand

3M is a diversified global manufacturer and technology innovator, with over 80,000 employees and a product range of more than 55,000. From dental and medical products to car care products and abrasives 3M has a distribution network in more than 200 countries. It has built a corporate image based on innovation and providing unique products, this is shown still in 2010 with the release of new products, Cubitron II for use in abrasion processes, and also a large screen multi touch platform capable of up to 60 simultaneous touches.

2010 was a bumper year for 3M with a sales increase of 15.3% to $26.7 billion, one of the highest in the company’s long history.  This may have been due to a slump in sales in 2009, due to the recession, but the bounce back is still impressive.  The largest percentage growth was in the Electro and Communications Business with an increase of 96.0% in operating profit from 2009, although this followed a 40.4% decrease the year before.  The growth in the Industrial and Transportation segment was the most significant in both net sales and operating income with increases of $1,349m (+18.7%)  and $540m (+42.9%).

The year was not all plain sailing for 3M, however, with the State of Minnesota filing a lawsuit against 3M for the company’s historic pollution of the environment and water supplies over the last 50 years. 3M manufactured perflourochemicals (PFCs) from 1952 to 2002 but failed to dispose of them in a manner the state deemed satisfactory. In 2007, the company signed a consent decree and agreed to remediate a number of sites, however, by December 2010, the company had still made no progress, triggering the legal action. A report earlier in 2010 also suggested a positive link between 3M employees exposed to PFCs and prostate cancer, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes. 3M’s value and performance may have escaped the lawsuit in the Brand Finance® Global 500 2011 but the effect could roll over to next year to damage the brand in future.

 

 

Last changed October 5, 2011

League tables

3M appears in the following brand league tables:

Rank 79 in the Global 500 2012.
Rank 83 in the Global 500 2011.
Rank 83 in the Global 500 2011.
Rank 122 in the Global 500 2010.
Rank 123 in the Global 500 2009.
Rank 107 in the Global 500 2008.
Rank 109 in the Global 250 2007.