History of 3M Valley
3M acquired the Valley, Neb., site in 1979. 3M Valley is managed by the 3M Occupational Health and Environmental Safety Division (OH&ESD) which makes up 80 percent of the annual production volume of the plant.
Key Historic Milestones of 3M Valley
- 3M Valley helped OH&ESD meet the increased demand for our products as a result of the eruption of Mount St. Helens in May of 1980.
- In 1989, 3M Valley sent oil-sorbent material for clean up of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
- 3M Valley received prestigious "Star" status in the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) in 1999.
- 3M Valley received OSHA recognition to its response in providing product during 9/11/2001. When the tragedy struck, 3M got the call and 3M Valley employees acted. They shipped out respirators which were delivered within 24 hours.
- 3M Valley received ISO-9001: 2000 registration in 2002.
- 3M Valley ramped up production of its disposable respiratory masks to fill orders for the SARS epidemic that hit Asia and North America.
- In 2005, the 3M Valley plant ran 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in part to meet a spike in demand for respiratory masks prompted by bird flu from Asia and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita which hit the south-central United States.
