Johnson Controls' sale of Scott Safety to 3M (2017)
Johnson Controls sold Scott Safety to 3M for $2 billion as part of its own post-merger portfolio simplification following its 2016 combination with Tyco International. Scott Safety, which traced its roots to 1932 and a partnership with NASA in the 1970s, had been part of Tyco's fire and security division.
3M integrated Scott Safety into its personal safety division, gaining a leading position in self-contained breathing apparatus for firefighters.
Nine years later, 3M is restructuring the same business it acquired—contributing it to a joint venture rather than operating it as a wholly owned division.
The Scott Safety brand has now passed through four corporate parents in 60 years (Scott Aviation, Tyco, Johnson Controls, 3M, and now a JV). Each transaction reflected the parent company's changing strategic priorities rather than any problem with the business itself—a pattern common in fire safety, where niche leaders get traded among conglomerates.