3m Greptile Grip Technology

3M currently offers their Greptile Grip “micro-replication” technology as an integral part of golf gloves. The product touts an improvement in drive speed and distance by requiring significantly less grip strength than a traditional golf glove and works well under wet conditions. The product is offered through the Sports and Leisure Products business unit within 3M. Major competitors include Nike, Titleist, and Footjoy, each offering their own lines of gloves. 3M intends to release the glove as a low-price product through mass distributors, such as Wal-Mart, before developing a higher-quality version (priced up) at sports retail stores.

In order for 3M to consider an innovation for development, it must meet three criteria: 1) be a patentable or trademark-able technology, 2) offer a superior value proposition to consumers, and 3) change the basis of competition by achieving a significant point of difference. In addition to the golf glove, 3M has launched baseball and softball gloves, and is extending the technology to golf club and baseball bat grips.

1. What other application do you envision for the Greptile technology within the sports and leisure market?

The integration of the “micro-replication” technology to golf gloves is a type of product innovation, as is its application to baseball gloves, bat grips, and club grips. Remaining within the sports and leisure industry, but applying a similar product innovation strategy to sporting equipment, its plausible to develop either gloves or grips for hockey, lacrosse, field hockey, crew (oar grips), fencing (epee grips), javelin throwing, soccer (goalie gloves), and football (receiver gloves). Following the development of golf gloves, these new products would leverage the lessons learned with little additional process risk. Of course, each market environment would require evaluation.

Ultimately, the technology may be applied at any point of contact between an athlete or sportsman and a sports apparatus or piece of equipment. Potential applications include improved rappelling gear (gloves and footwear, as well as the integration of the technology to ropes and climber clothing), creating stickier surfaces on swimmer starting blocks and diving platforms, weight-lifting equipment grip surfaces (barbells, dumbbells, exercise equipment), billiard cues, skateboard surfaces, and dart coatings.

Though new to the sport, it might be possible to design and market basketball gloves, or alternatively, improve the grip of the basketball’s surface without sacrificing its elasticity. Similarly, any sport requiring manual ball contact is a potential application (footballs, rugby balls, volleyballs, etc.).

Sports footwear is another potential area for product innovation exploration. Climbing, dancing, running, sailing, swimming, wrestling, and martial arts are all sports that require footwear with an exceptional