By Dave Sebastian 



  3M Co. said its sales rose 2% to $2.7 billion in August, driven by a boost to its segments that sell medical and surgical supplies and safety products. 


  Including organic volume effects and selling price changes, sales fell 2%, the company said Tuesday. Acquisitions, net of divestitures, and foreign-currency translations boosted sales by 3% and 1%, respectively. 


  3M said sales in its health-care segment rose 23% and in its safety and industrial segment 6%. Consumer-product sales rose 3%, while transportation and electronics fell 11%. On an organic basis, health-care sales rose 6%, safety and industrial sales rose 5%, consumer sales rose 2% and transportations and electronics sales fell 11%. 


  Sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa rose 7%, and 4% in the Americas. Asia-Pacific sales fell 2%. On an organic basis, Americas and Europe, Middle East and Africa sales were flat, though the U.S. rose 1%, and Asia-Pacific sales fell 5%, with China gaining 6% and Japan falling 15%. 


  3M said it expects third-quarter sales of $8.2 billion to $8.3 billion. It said it will continue giving out monthly sales information through the end of the year amid the economic uncertainty brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. 


  The company said it booked one fewer business day in August, though it will have one additional business day in September compared with last year. 


  Write to Dave Sebastian at dave.sebastian@wsj.com