I've seen several people mention the company's return to its roots as a prerequisite for its recovery. However, is that even possible, considering how far this place is from its roots today?
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The suggestion is to focus 3M's sales and marketing resources on electronics and transportation where some innovation still exists. Old industrial products should be sold as distributor-branded products with reduced 3M marketing efforts. The same approach should be taken with consumer products, marketing products with performance advantages under the 3M brand and licensing other brands for co-branding opportunities. The focus should be shifted back to R&D and developing innovative products for key accounts, rather than trying to be a marketing company. The 3M brand should be reset around innovation, instead of buying other people's products.
The only prayer for 3M is that some of the spins reinvent themselves into being mini old 3Ms. I don't see it happening with HC company because monish has already locked himself in as CEO unless the board pulls an about face. Vale is running the place now, which makes a GE style "leader" inevitable.