“Leveraging the decades of experience both companies have serving Fortune 500 companies all over the world, we believe the 3M Automated Taping System will fundamentally change how companies handle and apply millions of linear feet of 3M Attachment Tape every week throughout the world.”

3M (NYSE:MMM), a global leader in consumer and industrial material sciences, and Eckhart, an Industry 4.0 solutions pioneer, today announced the successful launch of the 3M™ Automated Taping System (ATS), a collaborative robot-based automated tape application system jointly developed by both companies for the automotive and industrial market.

The 3M ATS is designed and commercially available for innovative automotive and industrial customers that seek to automate manual processes involving 3M™ Attachment Tapes. 3M ATS leverages industry standard robotic components and best practices to deliver a flexible, simple, and cost-effective solution. Both 3M and Eckhart believe significant opportunities exist in the automotive and industrial space to use the 3M ATS to apply adhesion promoters, create extended liner tabs, and precisely position cut-to-length tape or die cuts onto components.

"At 3M we apply science in collaborative ways to improve life. A significant majority of our global customer base today, applies tape manually. The manual process is labor intensive, prone to repetitive tasks that create ergonomic issues for employees, and often results in significant rework. We recognized an opportunity to collaborate with a technology partner that has been working in the industrial automation space for over 60 years. Our goal was to jointly develop an automated solution that delivers real value to 3MTM Attachment Tape customers all over the world," said Rachel Moses, US Business Manager, 3M Automotive and Aerospace Solutions Division. "The 3M Automated Taping System utilizes collaborative robot technology to optimize ergonomic safety, first-time quality, and productivity while reducing the factory footprint required to apply tape where the systems are deployed."

"We're proud to partner with an innovative company like 3M that is committed to bringing the next generation of tape automation to the market," said Eckhart's Vice President of Business Development, Daniel Burseth. "Leveraging the decades of experience both companies have serving Fortune 500 companies all over the world, we believe the 3M Automated Taping System will fundamentally change how companies handle and apply millions of linear feet of 3M Attachment Tape every week throughout the world."

For more information, visit eckhartusa.com

About 3M and 3M Automotive and Aerospace Solutions Division

3M applies science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily. With $32 billion in sales, our 91,000 employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M's creative solutions to the world's problems at www.3M.com or on Twitter @3M or @3MNews.

For nearly 100 years, 3M has been a supplier of innovative, value-added solutions to the automotive industry. Hundreds of 3M products are used in the manufacture of vehicles, ranging from consumable products in assembly plant operations, to many others engineered into body, exterior, interior, powertrain and chassis components. 3M Automotive and Aerospace Division sales and application engineering centers and/or manufacturing facilities are located in over 40 countries around the world, wherever vehicles are manufactured. In addition, automotive research and development centers located in the U.S., Germany, Japan, China and India strive to maintain close ties with automotive OEMs and tier suppliers globally. Learn more about automotive solutions from 3M at 3M.com/AutomotiveOEM.

3M is a trademark of 3M Company.

About Eckhart

With over 60 years of experience and based in Warren, Michigan, Eckhart engineers advanced industrial solutions that enhance the quality of life. Eckhart's proven portfolio of Industry 4.0 technology includes AUTOCRAFT™ autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), collaborative robotic systems, traditional robotics, contract assembly line design & simulation, 3D printing tool development & production, and ergonomic general assembly tooling solutions for the world's largest manufacturers. Eckhart serves an established and loyal, blue-chip customer base of leading automotive and industrial original equipment manufacturers.