3M Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of St. Paul, MN-based 3M, has acquired Les Entreprises Solumed Inc., a Quebec-based developer and marketer of medical products designed to prevent infections in operating rooms and hospitals.
 
Solumed brings a chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) and alcohol-based line of products to 3M’s offering for infection prevention. The addition of Solumed positions 3M for growth in the fast-growing segment of intravenous (IV) site care and in preoperative care and hand hygiene, where CHG-based products are gaining momentum,”said Chuck Kummeth, vice president and general manager, 3M Medical Division.
 
Solumed’s products such as antiseptic wipes and swabsticks, along with surgical scrub brush-sponges and antiseptic gels, complement 3M’s existing line of health care products intended to improve patient skin health and help reduce the risk of infection in patients and health care workers.
 
“The acquisition of Solumed will enhance our local presence, expand our business and help us to better address our customers’emerging needs in these markets,”said Jim McSheffrey, president and general manager, 3M Canada.
 
Solumed employs 25 people and will remain in Quebec as a separate subsidiary of 3M Canada.
 
Solumed’s products are available in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. The company’s head office is located in Laval, just north of Montreal, in the province of Quebec,
 
With $24 billion in sales, 3M employs 75,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 60 countries.