Soemantri Widagdo is Manager of Multifunctional Surfaces and Adhesives, in the Display and Graphics Business at 3M. He received his B.S. degree in chemical engineering from Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia, and his M.Ch.E. and Ph.D. from Stevens Institute of Technology. Early in his career, he developed the first electric generator in Indonesia that used biomass gasification technology.
After the completion of his graduate studies, he began his career in the United States with the Polymer Processing Institute (PPI), Hoboken, New Jersey. As the head of its computation group, he led the development of an analysis software package for twinscrew compounding. During his tenure at PPI, he was also Research Professor of Chemical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology.
He joined 3M in 1998, and has served as the technology leader for polymer compounding, as a Six Sigma Black Belt, and in a number of technology management positions. He has been involved in a variety of technology and product-development programs involving renewable energy, industrial and transportation applications, consumer office products, electrical and electronics applications, healthcare and dentistry,and display and graphics applications.
He has authored and co-authored over 20 technical publications. He is coauthor of Product and Process Design Principles: Synthesis, Analysis, and Evaluation, 3rd Ed.(with W. D. Seider, J. D. Seader, and D. R. Lewin; Wiley, 2009).