Protecting workers through award-winning design
Our partnership has helped to improve welders’ safety and comfort under dangerous and strenuous working conditions.
It started in 1983 when a tiny company called Speedglas invented a new type of welding glass. It darkened automatically in response to the bright light of a welding arc, freeing welders from having to constantly “nod” the shield up and down as they worked.
Other innovations over the years included a device that pivots the shield up and back over the crown of the head, rather than resting at the forehead, easing neck pain. Internal padding that skirted pressure points, reducing headaches. A two-way fan system that improved breathability. A textile covering that captured stray glass crystals. A curved design for glass that extended peripheral vision.
Our partnership has produced seven signature helmet designs, with accessories, which have won 11 international awards, including a 2021 “Best of the Best” Red Dot Award, and are now sold in 60+ countries. But most importantly, our work together has helped to protect welders around the world.
Our North Star
How do you sustain a 40-year partnership and reinvent the same product in fresh, new ways, again and again?
“From our first contact in the mid-80s, we realized that if we worked together we could do something exceptional for our end users: the welders,” reflects Anders Grönberg , the global portfolio leader of welding at 3M. An engineer and market economist by training, Anders has led the development of the helmets for 25+ years, since joining Speedglas in 1990, and then moving on to 3M when it bought the company in 2004. “This has been our common interest during all these years: That we fulfill their needs today and in the future. The fact that we have been successful has, of course, also strengthened the relationship.”
