Tech should solve human problems, not just sit in labs: Ajay Nanavati, MD, 3M India

NEW DELHI: When Ajay Nanavati set up the India office of US giant 3M Corporation at Bangalore’s Electronic City 23 years ago, he was the first occupant, and with a single product to show. Today, with a portfolio of 7,000 products across sectors, there is a 3M technology product touching an Indian’s life every three minutes.

From supplying connectors to join two copper cables, its repertoire now straddles scrubbers to tapes to dental solutions to car cleaners and sunscreens. Plus, most of them researched and manufactured right out of India.

“We work on technologies which can solve human problems. We don’t want any relevant technology to reside in the labs. 3M believes in commercialising innovative solutions to solve human problems,” says Nanavati, now the managing director of 3M in India.

“But problems in India are unique,” says Nanavati, a chemical engineer from Virginia Tech Institute. For example, theft of street sign markers is so common here that 3M came out with a product which can remain as a substrate on flyovers and trees, and thus can’t be stolen. In Bangalore, and Delhi, all traf-fic signages use 3M technology and
the firm has a 90% share of traffic signages across the country.

Road pavements in most metros are embossed with shining 3M median markers while the floormats outside Delhi International Airport are manufactured by 3M. To understand India’s problems and produce products that solve human issues, 3M India commissioned a survey to find out the problems a housewife faces.

Employees spent a day with housewives observing the chores she does and the problems she faces. “A simple product which came out of the exercise was a floor cleaning cloth with a scrubber attached that can clean corners, which housewives were not able to do earlier,” says Nanavati.

The very popular Scotch Brite is actually an industrial scrubber 3M modified for cleansing utensils. To expand its business lines, 3M encourages its employees to just observe their daily lives, and how problems can be solved by technology.

In 1974, 3M scientist Art Fry was finding it difficult to have a book-mark which could stick inside his hymn book during church choirs. He added a light adhesive to bookmarks resulting in the Post-it Notes, which became a hit in the following years.

Similarly, in 1952, an assistant of 3M chemist, Patsy Sherman, accidentally dropped an experimental compund on her new tennis shoes. The spot where it dropped repelled liquids and stayed clean. The rest of shoe became dirty over days. This led 3M to launch Scotchgard brand of fabric protection agents and stain removers. The cellotape and maskingtape are also examples of hugely successful products born out of serendipitious experiments at 3M.

“The reason India doesn’t see this kind of innovation is because we are very risk averse. Failure is not encouraged in India. Therefore an ecosystem doesn’t exist for research and developmentin Indian companies,” he adds.

Naturally, it is trying to change all that. The firm’s local centre, with 1,800 on its rolls, has filed for 14 patents last year. The Nano uses 3M adhesives instead of rivets in some places. It makes the car lighter, and thus more fuel efficient.

Indian dentists use 3M products too. If you ever had a dental filling, there is a nine out of ten chance that you are carrying a 3M dental cement in your mouth. The company owns a 90% share in dental cements in India. 3M spends about 3% of its $26 billion annual revenues on R&D, which was maintained during recession.

“We are so widely spread that the company can’t be impacted even if an industry or two goes down,” he adds. 3M manufactures all its products to have control over technology copyright and quality. “We are soon going to launch a new factory in Ranjangaon as all our other five factories here are running to capacity,” Nanavati adds.

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