Sustainability
Pressure on the automotive industry is increasing from multiple directions. Stakeholders demand measurable CO₂ reductions, while labor costs continue to rise globally. To remain competitive, manufacturers must balance sustainability targets with economic reality. New automation concepts are emerging as a decisive response that can shorten logistics chains, reduce labor dependency, improve quality and traceability, and strengthen cost efficiency.
Political and economic uncertainty is putting heavy pressure on the automotive industry. OEMs and suppliers are therefore reassessing production processes across the entire value chain, seeking ways to address sustainability while keeping costs under control. Wire harness assembly stands out as one area with particularly high potential.
Wire harnesses bundle together more than 5 kilometers of cable in a single car.
A single wire harness can contain up to 1,500 individual wires. To prevent rattling and damage, these bundles are traditionally taped by hand in best‑cost countries before being transported over long distances to OEM assembly plants. This approach increases costs and creates avoidable logistics‑related CO₂ emissions.
Around 90 percent of wire harness manufacturing relies on manual work, while taping accounts for up to 30 percent of production time. Rising global labor costs increase the financial burden, and manual processes introduce potential quality risks that may lead to more scrapped materials.
Today, most OEMs have their wire harnesses manufactured in best‑cost countries, adding logistical complexity. Transporting completed harnesses back to central manufacturing sites leads to long transport routes, extended lead times, increased costs, and additional CO₂ emissions. As a result, many OEMs are evaluating automated wire harness production concepts that can be relocated closer to their main manufacturing sites, reducing transport distances, lead times, and associated emissions.
Our automation‑ready solutions enable wire harness production processes to be relocated closer to OEM manufacturing sites, significantly reducing transport‑related CO₂ emissions.
In response to these challenges, leading players across the industry are joining forces to fundamentally rethink wire harness manufacturing. Our experts work closely with a network of partners such as Cellios (opens in a new window or tab) and TE Connectivity (opens in a new window or tab) to develop high‑speed, fully automated taping systems for the automotive sector. These innovations enable OEMs to bring this production step much closer to their central facilities.
As a result of these cooperations, we are aiming to develop a comprehensive combination of automation-optimized tapes and advanced application concepts to deliver a solution to the market. Our automation‑ready tesa® rolls, spools, and die‑cut solutions are designed for seamless integration into future automated wire harness processes. Together with our partners, we are working toward fully automated taping solutions that increase speed, enhance safety, and reduce scrap through higher precision and standardization. Our vision is to become a full‑solution provider for automated wire harness taping.
“I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together with tesa. Through collaboration, we’re showing that our industry has the power to drive change toward a more sustainable world.”
CEO and Co-Founder of Cellios
These products and partnerships enable our customers in the automotive industry to avoid CO₂ emissions from transportation by producing wire harnesses closer to OEM assembly plants. In addition, automation unlocks a wide range of benefits such as decreasing labor costs, accelerating processes, and reducing waste.
In addition to supplying high‑quality tapes, we collaborate with customers and partners to develop specially designed taping applicators. These innovations – covering straight sections and branches – are designed to deliver a seamless solution to our customers.
Our portfolio for automated wire harness assembly is designed in accordance with the DIN 72036 standard and includes:
