What do you get when you cross a warehouse management system (WMS) with scotch tape?

We don't exactly know yet. But following the last month's announcement that 3M is purchasing HighJump Software, we're about to find out.

"We are very excited about our future with 3M," says Chris Heim, HighJump's chief executive officer.

HighJump will operate as an independent company, known as HighJump Software, a 3M company. HighJump will also continue to operate from its present location with the current management team and product line in place.

The acquisition is a departure from the norm. While a number of WMS companies have been swallowed up in the last year, including last month's acquisition of OMI International by Retalix, those have all been acquisitions by other software companies. While 3M has recently introduced a software solution for end-of-the-line packaging, it is by and large a manufacturing and services company.

Still, Heim says HighJump will benefit from 3M's financial strength, the company's $1 billion research and development budget, and from several key patents for radio frequency identification (RFID) technology that 3M holds.

"The acquisition will provide rocket fuel for us to grow the business, as well as exciting RFID technologies," notes Heim. "With 3M behind us, we're going to reset the competitive landscape in the supply chain execution space."

But what does 3M gain from the deal? Two years ago, the company launched an industrial services and solutions business to provide Six Sigma and business process consulting services. It seems that 3M is banking that supply chain execution solutions like those provided by HighJump are a natural extension of that business.

Steve Banker, service director for ARC Advisory Group , sees potential risks and rewards for HighJump, which has been one of the fastest-growing WMS companies in recent years.

"The financial stability that 3M brings is good, and there are potential synergies between HighJump and 3M's consulting business," says Banker.

However, Banker cautions, "the synergies are often not realized when big companies buy little companies."