ATS Automation Tooling Systems explained

ATS Corporation[1]
Type:Public
Traded As: [2] NYSE:ATS
Genre:Engineering and Manufacturing
Founder:Klaus Woerner
Location City:Cambridge, Ontario
Location Country:Canada
Location:730 Fountain St N.
Key People:Andrew Hider (CEO since 2017)
Industry:Automated Machinery and Equipment
Revenue:1.4B CAD[3]
Num Employees:6500 [4]
Divisions:20 facilities and 50 offices worldwide:
Homepage:www.atsautomation.com

ATS Corporation is a Canadian company based in Cambridge, Ontario, that designs and builds factory automation systems. It is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

History

ATS was founded by Klaus Woerner in 1978.[5] Woerner, who immigrated to Canada from Germany in 1974, ran the company until his death in 2005, overseeing significant growth.[6] In 2007, ATS pulled the planned IPO of its solar division, Photowatt.[7] Partially as a result of this, two hedge funds, Goodwood and Mason Capital Management, led a proxy fight against the firm, leading to the a new board of directors and management team.[8] Anthony Caputo became CEO at this time.[9] Photowatt under-performed significantly in the years that followed; the company eventually sold Photowatt's French operations to EDF Group.[10]

In 2011, ATS purchased Sortimat Group, a German life sciences automation firm, for $62 million. In 2013, they purchased German packaging firm IWK for $144 million,[11] and in 2014, they purchased the automation business of German company M+W Group for $362 million.[12]

In February 2017, Andrew Hider was appointed CEO of the company.[13]

In September 2023, ATS acquired Avidity Science, a biomedical research and life sciences water purification equipment provider, for $195 million.[14]

Operations

ATS builds automation systems for the medical devices, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, semiconductor, fiber optics, automotive, computers, solar energy and consumer products industries. As of 2018, they have designed and built 23,000 automation systems.

ATS employs approximately 6500 people worldwide, with 20 facilities in North America, Europe and Asia.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. Changes name to ATS Corp . . 21 November 2022 .
  2. Web site: ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. Changes name to ATS Corp . . 21 November 2022 .
  3. Web site: ATS Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2020 Results.
  4. Web site: About Us (CA;ATA) . 2020-11-16.
  5. News: 100 years, 100 people: Business. 2012-05-24. KitchenerPost.ca. 2018-11-09. en-CA.
  6. Web site: ATS founder Klaus Woerner passes away ATS Automation. www.atsautomation.com. en. 2018-11-09.
  7. News: ATS Automation pulls its planned solar IPO. 2007-03-28. National Post.
  8. News: ATS Automation starting to turn investors' crank. 2011-07-06. The Globe and Mail. 2018-11-09.
  9. News: ATS Automation Tooling cutting 150 jobs The Star. 2008-11-12. The Toronto Star. 2018-11-09. en.
  10. News: French court approves sale of ATS solar division. 2012-02-27. TheRecord.com. 2018-11-09. en-CA.
  11. News: Cambridge company ATS to acquire German packaging firm for $144M. Howitt. Chuck. 2013-09-03. TheRecord.com. 2018-11-09. en-CA.
  12. News: ATS acquires Germany's M+W Group for $362-million in bid to boost auto industry exposure. 2014-07-08. Financial Post. 2018-11-09. en-US.
  13. Web site: 2017-02-10 . ATS Automation names Andrew Hider CEO . 2021-01-18 . Manufacturing Automation . en-US.
  14. Web site: ATS To Acquire Biomedical Research & Life Sciences Water Purification Equipment Provider Avidity Science . 2023-09-22 . www.newswire.ca . en.