Klaus Woerner (1939–2005) was the founder and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

ATS Automation Tooling Systems 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. Woerner, who immigrated to C ...

. Its main headquarters is located in

Cambridge, Ontario Cambridge is a city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, located at the confluence of the Grand River (Ontario), Grand and Speed River, Speed rivers, in the central part of the Ontario Peninsula. The city had a population ...

, Canada and it is one of the world's foremost companies dealing with automated manufacturing equipment. Woerner was born in

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in 1939. He completed his apprenticeship as a precision mechanic in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

before moving to

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada in 1960. Klaus worked for several companies in Montreal while taking night school classes to complete his high school diploma. He studied

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

in Montreal for three years, and completed his degree in Industrial Engineering at

Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District in downtown Toronto, although i ...

after he and his wife moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario. He graduated in 1972 and began working for

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, which introduced him to automated manufacturing technology. Woerner was keen to start his own business and in 1978 he started the engineering company which grew into Automation Tooling Systems. The company now has 26 worldwide divisions and over 4000 employees. Woerner won many distinguished business awards, including the Ernst & Young Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year in 1997. He was a great

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

, and donated 5 million dollars to the main theatre of

Kitchener, Ontario Kitchener is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, about west of Toronto. It is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is the regional Administrative centre, seat. Kitchener was known as Berlin until a ...

, the Centre in the Square, as well as 2 million dollars to the engineering complex of the local community college,

Conestoga College Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning is a public college located in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. History In 1967, the college was founded as Conestoga College of Applied Arts and Technology by the government of Ontar ...

. ATS is a world leader in the design of automated manufacturing equipment, and its systems are used by companies that produce auto parts, pharmaceuticals and computer/electronics equipment. Woerner died of cancer in February 2005 at the age of 65. Lawrence Tapp, chairman of ATS

Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

said in a statement: "Klaus was a gifted engineer, entrepreneur and business leader who made a significant and lasting contribution to the global automation industry, to the Region of Waterloo where he chose to found ATS more than 25 years ago and to thousands of young engineers and tradespeople around the world who benefited from his commitment to apprenticeship training. His sharp intellect, dedication to adding value through innovation, global insight, and passion to succeed made him one of Canada's great entrepreneurs".

References

* Kitchener-Waterloo Record, Feb. 8 2005 (Obituary and Articles)

External links

ATS Automation Tooling Systems
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woerner, Klaus 1939 births 2005 deaths Businesspeople from Ontario Toronto Metropolitan University alumni