ATS Company Profile

Much More Than Just An Integrator

ATS is a world leader in factory automation solutions. We have designed and built more than 10,000 automation systems for many of the world's foremost manufacturers – in areas as diverse as telecommunications, semiconductor, fiber optics, automotive, computers, solar energy and consumer products.

Breaking through factory automation limits of conventional thinking for our customers requires more than system integration. We apply industry-leading technical resources, vast knowledge and an unmatched track record for innovation, to build the highest productivity at the lowest cost per part into your system.

From optimizing your part for factory automation through simultaneous engineering and product prototyping to producing close-tolerance metal and plastic sub-components, from developing standard automation products to custom designing and building your turnkey manufacturing facility – we do whatever it takes to help you meet your automated assembly goals.

At ATS, we've built an organization unique in the automation industry, with 25 manufacturing and customer support facilities across North America, Europe and Asia, providing our customers with global technical resources, service and product support second to none.

Mission Statement

ATS Mission

• Products of outstanding value to our Customers.
• Superior financial return to our Shareholders; and
• A premier work environment and career opportunities for our Employees.

We will accomplish our mission by:

• Differentiating ourselves by providing products of outstanding value through the innovative application of state of the art technologies.
• Maintaining focus on our core business of providing automated manufacturing solutions to companies in diverse industries.
• Developing long term relationships with key customers.
• Enhancing our ability to serve key customers in our core business by utilizing our technological strengths of manufacturing high quality component parts and assemblies.

It is only through the on-going commitment and cooperation of all employees that we will achieve the standards of excellence required to guarantee our success.

Innovation/R & D

Solutions to Unique Manufacturing Challenges

Innovation is our lifeblood. At ATS, we partner with our clients as they enter new markets around the world. As they continually look for ways to become more competitive while improving profitability, they call upon us to engineer custom turnkey automation solutions that enhance product quality, lower defect rates, eliminate waste and increase productivity.

Innovative Standard Products

Over the years, we have developed a broad range of standard automation products and manufacturing workcells that deliver superior performance, flexibility and reliability with exceptionally fast payback.

These innovative technologies - from revolutionary material handling devices like the ATS Superbot™ and Supertrak™ to standalone manufacturing cells like our advanced coil winders and rotary dial machining systems – are a vital part of every system we build.

Resources

Single-Source Capability, Global Resources

With more than 1.5 million square feet of capacity in 25 facilities throughout the United States and Canada, Europe and the Pacific Rim – ATS is a truly global manufacturer of automation technology.

Experienced People

At ATS you will find some of the most knowledgeable people in the automation industry. Among our more than 4,000 employees worldwide, approximately 44% are engineers and technical specialists, 21% are skilled trades people, and 38% are semi-skilled operators and administrative personnel.

World-Class Facilities

Our experience building thousands of systems over the past two decades enables us to offer the industry's most comprehensive automation capabilities – from engineering large-scale automation systems to manufacturing precision components.

All ATS facilities subscribe to or meet the ISO quality standards, and all major manufacturing facilities are ISO 9001 or QS 9000/ISO 9002 registered.

Integrated Controls Capabilities

ATS offers an unparalleled track record in designing, programming and integrating PLC and state-of-the-art PC-based controls solutions that are unmatched for their productivity, flexibility and robustness. Beyond delivering compliance with industry and safety standards, ATS employs impeccable error proofing to build systems that work the way they're supposed to, right from startup – first time, every time – a core reason why our customers come to us.

Our advanced controls solutions range from providing operator interfaces for standalone machines to plant-wide solutions integrating third-party motion controllers, vision equipment, instrumentation, I/O networks, communications networks and other hardware for the control of complex factory automation systems.

With intuitive human-machine interfaces (HMI's) and standardized network functionality that provides fast startup, simple fault handling and recovery, and easy access to data and status messages, ATS solutions make monitoring and maintaining complete control over your automation system easy.

• Smart program structure, refined based on functionality, execution speed, memory usage and ease of maintenance.
• Full status monitoring and control, including fault diagnostics and error handling.
• Fast, error-free startup with simplified recovery from fault conditions and power outages.
• Complete manual control of all devices, including stepping forward and back, as well as the ability to home all tooling.
• Consistency and simplicity in hardware and software providing ease of support and service.

In addition, ATS strives to continuously improve the controls methodologies that drive our systems, evaluating and integrating the latest technologies, or developing our own, in order to deliver the highest efficiency at the lowest cost.

Awards

Founded in 1978, ATS established an early reputation for innovation, integrating micro-computer technology and programmable logic controllers to create some of the world's first integrated manufacturing systems.

Today, we have a long history and proven track record engineering custom automation solutions and breakthrough technologies that have brought us numerous awards of excellence and preferred supplier status from leading manufacturers around the globe.

Corporate and Automation

• 2003 Business Lead of the Year; Klaus Woerner; Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce
• 2003 Ministers Apprenticeship award, Minister of Training, Colleges & University
• 2003 Yves Laundry Foundation, Company of the Year, Award of excellence. http://www.ylandryfund.org/
• 2002 Canada Top 100 Employers
• 2000 Council for Resource Development Benefactor Award, Conestoga College of Arts and Technology
• 2000 Adept AAA Integrator of the Year
• 2000 Vendor Appreciation and Dedication Award - Hutchison Technologies
• 2000 Award of Excellence, Gillette
• 2000 Joseph E. Engelberger Robotics Industry Pioneer Award, Klaus Woerner
• 2000 ATS Training Services Mayors Award for Excellence in workplace training
• 2000 Supplier Recognition, ATS Advanced Manufacturing, Dortec/Magna - RS Van Launch
• 2000 Investor Relations Magazine Award, Best use of Teleconferencing
• 1999 Outstanding Technical Achievement Award Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technologists
• 1999 Elite Award - Outstanding Achievement, Adept Technology
• 1999 Integrator of the year/Outstanding Performance, Bosch
• 1997 Canada Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Canada
• 1997 Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Overall/Ontario
• 1997 Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Manufacturer
• 1996 ISO 9001 Quality Registration, QMI
• 1996 Ford Automotive Operations, Customer Driven Quality Award
• 1995 Outstanding Business Leader Award, Wilfred Laurier University. Awarded to Klaus Woerner.
• 1995 Kitchener, Waterloo Junior Achievement Award of Excellence
• 1990 Canada Export Award, Federal Department of External Affairs
• 1986 Outstanding Business Achievement Award, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
• 1985 Junior Achievement Business Achievement Award
• 1983 Northern Telecom Vendor award for outstanding performance

Precision Components

• 2002 Gold Supplier Performance award, Johnson Controls
• 2001 Silver Supplier Performance award, Johnson Controls
• 2000 Supplier Recognition, ATS Precision Plastics, Dortec/Magna - RS Van Launch
• 2000 Gold Supplier Performance Award, Johnson Controls
• 1999 North American Supplier Leadership Award Bronze, Johnson Controls
• 1996 QS - 9000 Registration, QMI
• 1992 Q1 Preferred Vendor Status - Ford Motor Company. ATS Precision Metals division.

ISO Quality

Quality Philosophy

At ATS, our commitment to total quality extends to all layers of the organization, empowering every individual - from engineering, to manufacturing, to service and support - to anticipate and meet our customers' requirements.

The result of this customer-driven quality philosophy is the relentless pursuit of innovation, not for its own sake, but for the continual improvement of our products and processes, and for the satisfaction and ultimate competitive advantage of our customers.

Quality Process

The discipline by which we achieve such high levels of quality is embodied in our ISO 9001 and QS 9000 registered processes. Every phase of the development and delivery of your automation system - from project management, to manufacturing process control, to inspection and test, to training and servicing - is controlled and documented in keeping with these stringent global and industry standards.

Project Management

At ATS, we recognize that on-time final delivery of your system can be critically impacted at any stage throughout your project. That's why we offer a total approach to project management that assures the timely implementation and completion of all processes - from design and engineering, to manufacturing, to quality control.

Designing, building and testing a state-of-the-art automated manufacturing system requires bringing together hundreds of complex tasks. Our dedicated project management team plays a vital role in keeping your project on track, allocating diverse ATS resources to ensure that we meet all our commitments, every step of the way.

We employ comprehensive measurement and reporting to monitor and correlate operations through each phase of your project. Weekly project reviews are used to initiate corrective action if required, and frequent status reports are generated. This single-point accountability gives you access to every aspect of your project, from concept to commissioning.