3M's chief financial officer says the Maplewood-based company is still trying to address objections by the U.S. Department of Justice to purchase Avery Dennison's office-supplies division for $550 million. Reuters reports CFO David Meline told investors, "We have a contract that remains in place at the present time and we are reviewing the situation."

3M Co. still wants to complete a $550 million deal to buy Avery Dennison Corp.'s office-products division, according to a Wednesday morning statement. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said the Maplewood-based company decided to terminate the proposed acquisition after the agency threatened to block the deal.

3M is expanding its sustainable energy footprint with its new photovoltaic film manufacturing plant in Missouri. The Maplewood-based conglomerate says the film cuts manufacturing time and replaces the need for the heavy glass used in rooftop solar modules. The Star Tribune also reports the project will lower costs for U.S.-based makers of solar panels.

Kansas officials say they won't pay 3M the remaining $4 million the state owes on its $25 million contract until the Maplewood-based vendor fixes the state's new $40 million motor vehicle system. Among the issues, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports the new software didn't convert more than 70,000 records correctly and counties continue to report other problems three months after the May launch.

3M Co. posted a record third-quarter earnings of $1.65 per share, an increase of 8.6 percent increase from a year earlier, but cut its profit expectations for all of 2012 because of "current economic realities." The Maplewood-based company, which makes everything from office supplies to specialized coatings, expects to earn $6.27 to $6.35 per share for the year, down from $6.35 to $6.50, CNBC reports.

Both 3M and Cogent deny any wrong doing, but have agreed to pay $1.9 million to shareholders and their attorneys. Bloomberg reports the investors claim Cogent CEO Ming Hsieh favored 3M to collect a retention bonus. The Maplewood-based company paid about $943 million in 2010 for Cogent.

Maplewood-based 3M Co. has agreed to pay $110 million in cash to buy Federal Signal Technologies Group, which focuses on electronic toll collection and parking management software services.

From social media to thwarting crime and terrorism, facial recognition technology is becoming a big business and one Minnesota company is looking to cash in. A couple years ago, Maplewood-based 3M acquired the California company Cogent, which develops a variety of identification systems, for nearly $1 billion. 3M Cogent marketing director Teresa Wu tells the Star Tribune, "The next step in applications will be face-in-the-crowd -- identifying people at long distance."