Aerospace gets new focus at 3M

3M Co.'s first-quarter earnings report Tuesday gave newly minted CEO Inge Thulin the opportunity to publicly sketch out a vision for the Maplewood-based giant that includes increasing its focus on the aerospace and energy industries.

"We have been in those markets for some time, but ... we have not given them full attention in terms of additional investment," said Thulin on a conference call with analysts.

The maker of Scotch tape and Post-it Notes already has hundreds of aerospace and energy-related products and technologies in filtration, abrasives and adhesives that serve both industries.

The increased emphasis is to accelerate 3M's overall growth in sales, which moved up 2.4 percent to $7.5 billion in the quarter ended March 31. 3M's earnings in the quarter rose to $1.13 billion, or $1.59 a share, compared with $1.08 billion, or $1.49 a share, in the same period last year. Wall Street analysts were expecting earnings of $1.49 a share.

3M has said it expects organic sales -- which don't include price increases, contributions from acquisitions or currency effects -- to rise 2 percent to 5 percent this year. That's below the company's long-term growth goal of 7 percent to 8 percent.

Aerospace, whose sales rose by double-digits in the first quarter, was recently promoted from being a department to a division. Another new division was formed from oil, gas and mining-related businesses spread throughout the company. Thulin said the organizational moves are aimed at steering more resources for developing new products as well as marketing existing ones.

"Think of it as putting better-quality wood in the fire," said Nicholas Heymann, an analyst at William Blair in New York. The initiatives in high-growth aerospace and energy businesses could start paying off for 3M in a meaningful way in the next six to 12 months, he said.

"It was encouraging to see that kind of growth despite the fact that Japan is not recovering as fast as people had hoped," said Mariann Montagne, an analyst and portfolio manager at Marks Group Wealth Management in Minnetonka.

Asia-Pacific sales were hurt by China's economic slowdown and Japan's struggle to recover from its earthquake and tsunami. Sales in that region also were hurt by 3M's ongoing difficulties in its consumer electronics and optical films businesses. A 28 percent decline in optical systems sales dragged down revenue in 3M's display and graphics segment by 12 percent. Sales in the electro and communications segment fell 3 percent in the quarter. The company said it expects the electronics business to turn up in the second half of the year.

Company officials also said Europe remained weak but appears to be stabilizing.

Montagne said she was impressed by 3M's ability to boost its operating margins in all its business segments from the previous quarter. "Industrials in general have been under pressure coming into the first quarter because of the expectation that operating margins would begin to contract. That was not the case for 3M," she said.

3M updated its 2012 guidance, saying earnings would be in a range of $6.35 to $6.50 a share, up from a previous range of $6.25 to $6.50 a share.

Staff writer Janet Moore contributed to this report. Susan Feyder • 612-673-1723