It’s a big week for 3M R&D. I’m looking forward to this Friday, when our CEO, elected officials and others will be cutting the ribbon on a brand-new, state-of-the-art R&D facility that will house up to 700 scientists. I’m lucky enough to be one of them.

I’m excited about the possibilities the new R&D space holds. The building was designed with multiple work environments in mind, so we’ll have the ability to optimize and customize how we want or need to accomplish our work. It’s a creative space to suit some creative work.

My team will be developing next-generation inkjet inks, liquid clear coats and coating solutions for the large-format graphics market – think indoor and outdoor commercial signage, and graphics for airplanes, buses and trains. We also will be evaluating and testing combinations of media, substrates, inks and protection methods for robustness to qualify for our 3M MCS Warranty – the most comprehensive warranty for digitally printed finished graphics in the industry.

Before, we had digital printing equipment dispersed throughout two buildings and seven different rooms. Now, our equipment is housed together in one large, open environment, and the workflow improvements alone are readily apparent.

To have us all together in one space is helpful, but to have us in the new space surrounded by windows, light and inspiring views shows us how committed 3M is to research and development – and to us. The hope is this new environment – this new collaboration space – will build on the sparks of insight and innovation we all count on to achieve our goals.