Business Segments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2015

Business Segments

Business Segments

NOTE 12. Business Segments

3M's businesses are organized, managed and internally grouped into segments based on differences in markets, products, technologies and services. 3M manages its operations in five operating business segments: Industrial; Safety and Graphics; Electronics and Energy; Health Care; and Consumer. 3M's five business segments bring together common or related 3M technologies, enhancing the development of innovative products and services and providing for efficient sharing of business resources. These segments have worldwide responsibility for virtually all 3M product lines. 3M is not dependent on any single product/service or market. Transactions among reportable segments are recorded at cost. 3M is an integrated enterprise characterized by substantial intersegment cooperation, cost allocations and inventory transfers. Therefore, management does not represent that these segments, if operated independently, would report the operating income information shown. The difference between operating income and pre-tax income relates to interest income and interest expense, which are not allocated to business segments.

Business Segment Information	Three months ended
	March 31,
(Millions)	2015		2014
Net Sales
Industrial	$	2,658	$	2,776
Safety and Graphics		1,372		1,423
Electronics and Energy		1,322		1,311
Health Care		1,329		1,374
Consumer		1,048		1,079
Corporate and Unallocated		2		3
Elimination of Dual Credit		(153)		(135)
Total Company	$	7,578	$	7,831
Operating Income
Industrial	$	598	$	618
Safety and Graphics		335		318
Electronics and Energy		283		227
Health Care		408		427
Consumer		240		228
Corporate and Unallocated		(100)		(72)
Elimination of Dual Credit		(34)		(30)
Total Company	$	1,730	$	1,716

Corporate and unallocated operating income includes a variety of miscellaneous items, such as corporate investment gains and losses, certain derivative gains and losses, certain insurance-related gains and losses, certain litigation and environmental expenses, corporate restructuring charges and certain under- or over-absorbed costs (e.g. pension, stock-based compensation) that the Company may choose not to allocate directly to its business segments. Because this category includes a variety of miscellaneous items, it is subject to fluctuation on a quarterly and annual basis.

3M business segment reporting measures include dual credit to business segments for certain U.S. sales and related operating income. Management evaluates each of its five operating business segments based on net sales and operating income performance, including dual credit U.S. reporting to further incentivize U.S. sales growth. As a result, 3M provides additional (“dual”) credit to those business segments selling products in the U.S. to an external customer when that segment is not the primary seller of the product. For example, certain respirators are primarily sold by the Personal Safety Division within the Safety and Graphics business segment; however, the Industrial business segment also sells this product to certain customers in its U.S. markets. In this example, the non-primary selling segment (Industrial) would also receive credit for the associated net sales it initiated and the related approximate operating income. The assigned operating income related to dual credit activity may differ from operating income that would result from actual costs associated with such sales. The offset to the dual credit business segment reporting is reflected as a reconciling item entitled “Elimination of Dual Credit,” such that sales and operating income for the U.S. in total are unchanged.