Shale-Inland and 3M Announce Commercialization Agreement

CHICAGO, Dec. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Shale-Inland and 3M today announced they have entered into a five year commercialization agreement that builds on the strengths of both organizations to offer new-to-the-world product solutions for advancing the development of protective and decorative films in the global primary metal and metal fabrication markets.  

Shale-Inland brings comprehensive expertise in steel and aluminum distribution, stainless steel polishing, stamping and fabrication, while 3M's expertise in material science technology platforms combines to drive disruptive innovation in the market place.  

"It's an exciting time for both companies and we are extremely pleased to have 3M's technological innovation supporting the Shale-Inland companies. 3M is the best technology firm in the world.  We will be moving forward aggressively on a number of projects that will be announced in 2012," said Craig Bouchard, Chairman and CEO of Shale-Inland. 

"We welcome this opportunity to gain first-hand customer insight from this agreement with Shale-Inland. The global metals market exceeds $2 trillion in annual revenue. We feel this market is vastly underserved when it comes to technological advances in coatings, adhesives and reflectivity," said Mike Roman, Vice President, Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division at 3M. He added, "This is where we love to be: showcasing 3M's collaborative depth in designing solutions with and for our customers."

Shale-Inland also announced it has set up a new subsidiary to develop and market these new products, run by Alan Blankshain, Executive Vice President, and Jody Pitts, Vice President of Marketing. The company expects to have one manufacturing facility in Chicago, and one in China, which will distribute these products into Asia. Shale-Inland is in discussion with potential Chinese partners.

About Shale-Inland

Shale-Inland combines stainless, aluminum, carbon steel and protective film distribution with stamping and fabrication. We pursue world-class customers and provide them with service that engenders fierce loyalty. With a recovery in our economy, we believe American manufacturing is on the verge of a renaissance. Shale-Inland's mission is to optimize supply chain management and deliver a broad spectrum of metal or finished parts just-in-time to allow our customers to be creative in assembling their products and streamlining their processes. For more information, visit www.shale-inland.com.

About IATD

The Industrial Adhesive and Tape Division is 3M's largest division, known for products and materials that bond, attach, join, protect, and add durability and aesthetics to manufactured products.  IATD leverages an array of 3M technology platforms -- such as adhesives, coatings, films, sealants and more -- helping industrial customers solve problems and enabling them to be more productive.

About 3M

3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $27 billion in sales, 3M employs about 80,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit or follow @3MNews on Twitter.

Media Contact:
Peter B. Hirsch
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
(212) 880-5278
[email protected]

or

Connie Thompson
3M Public Relations
(651) 733-8914
http://www.3M.com/PressContact

SOURCE Shale-Inland