HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 07-14 Khandpur tapped as R&D chief at 3M STAR TRIBUNE ir StarTribune
Khandpur tapped as R&D chief at
3M
Article by:Evan Ramstad and Dee DePass a � ,
Star Tribune staff writers
July 14,2014-7:44 PM
3M Co.appointed Ashish Khandpur as its new head of „-
research and development and chief technology officer ��'
on Monday.He will lead one of America's biggest R&D
operations with a$1.7 billion annual budget. ”"
He succeeds Fred Palensky,who is retiring after 37
years with the company,including the last eight years as
the firm's R&D chief.
In that post,Palensky presided over the opening and
growth of a highly visible 3M Innovation Center plus a a'
new$150 million R&D laboratory that is now under
construction at 3M's headquarters in Maplewood. �+
The R&D lab is scheduled to open in 2015 and will
replace two aging labs on campus.The Innovation
Center opened in 2006 and has been a successful site
for customer collaborations,new-product launches and Ashish Khandpur,3M's new senior ace president of
R&D and chief technology officer.
problem solving.
Courtesy 3M,
Going forward,Khandpur will be expected to emphasize
3M's grip on innovation,a tool that some Wall Street analysts worried had been forgotten as recently as a
decade ago.Recent CEOs have tried to quell such concerns by pouring money into R&D and opening
research or innovation centers around the world.
Khandpur,who has a chemical engineering doctorate from the University of Minnesota,was most recently
vice president and general manager for 3M's personal safety division.He joined 3M in 1995 in the
company's adhesive technology center in St.Paul.In 2006,,he moved to 3M's India unit and established its
first lab there.He later worked in the company's Asia-Pacific industrial and transportation unit and became
worldwide research chief of the industrial and transportation business.
Khandpur's"global experience is a huge asset and I am confident that he will lead our research and
development teams to even greater success,"Inge Thulin,3M's chief executive,said in a statement.
Thulin in November 2012 announced that the company would boost its R&D spending from 5 percent of its
overall revenue to 6 percent by 2017,In 2013,the company reported R&D spending of$1.71 billion,which
was 5.5 percent of its revenue of$30.8 billion.
The company is the largest producer of patent-winning innovations in Minnesota.
evan.ramstad @startribune.com•612-673-4241
dee.depass @startribune.com•612-673-7725
0 2014 Star Tribune