3M Corporation Traffic Safety Systems

3M and The Irwin-Hodson Company established a partnership in year 2000 and developed a new product for highway and freeway illumination. That product is called the 3M Diamond Grade Linear Delineation System. A unique mounting system enables easy application and allows road crews to complete installation of over a 1000-foot section in about six hours.

3M diamond grade stock comes in four colors and two sizes which is laminated onto IHCO aluminum coil and formed into a unique, custom shape. This final product is applied to concrete barriers and metal guardrails, thus providing retroflection across a wide range of entrance and observation angles.

After a lengthy development period, IHCO has produced both the forming technique for the panels and a bracket system for mounting this and other reflective products for delineation.

These panel systems can be seen on Oregon I-5 landscapes. The newest one is currently set up just north of Albany and is being used to separate traffic for road construction.

We are actively helping 3M pursue improvement in the mounting system. We plan to have another new mounting D-Bracket available in 2006. Markets for the product continue to grow as consumers learn to appreciate the optical superiority and energy savings of the 3M panels. Guardrail applications in the United States are growing in popularity, such as the New Jersey turnpike application completed in 2005.

The IHCO is continues to be a vital part of the 3M solution for Traffic Safety Systems.