“Innovation starts by intimately observing your customer.” – Jeremy Gutsche. ATS has a rich history of being a world leader designing and building customer-engineered technologies and innovative automation solutions across diverse sectors. Our success hinges on our ability to create value for our customers by solving previously unsolvable problems, reducing complexity and cost, shortening development cycles, improving production efficiencies, and simplifying change.
Value Through Product Development
Whenever there are processes that are repeated from one automation system to another, it only makes sense to consolidate all of the associated design and build information into a product that can be deployed over and over again, and can be improved on and added to as newer technology becomes available. Over the years, ATS has launched a number of products arising from unmet needs like our SuperTrak™ family of products which targeted the products and processes that required linear mover technology, high speed, high precision, and superior quality. Another example is the Illuminate™ product which provides critical insight into the performance of essential machines, lines and processes. ATS will continue to develop products for both the customer and ATS use as one of the ways we focus on, listen to and respond to your needs. Download SuperTrak brochure Download Illuminate brochure
Value Through Early Technology Adoption
Buzz words today include IIoT, Industry 4.0, machine learning, digitalization and artificial intelligence. But what do they mean to your business and how do you benefit? And who has enough hours in a day to research and comprehend? That’s where ATS comes into the picture. It is our job to be constantly searching for the next trend, the next ‘new thing’, and to connect the dots between idea and application. For ATS to continue to provide smart systems that address your unique problems, we will always strive for the better solution and develop it to the point where you are not the experiment but the beneficiary of the new technology. Download ATS SmartVision M+ Spec Sheet
Digitalization
Value Through Lower Cost Solutions
Fully automated manufacturing equipment comes at a price; it is not a cheap investment, but neither is relying on manual labor for products that depend on precise and repeatable assembly. A common challenge for customers is justifying the expense of automated assembly equipment for a single product or similar products, and ATS listened. We are developing a modular assembly product that can be shared by a number of disparate products, thus turning the platform into an asset that can be depreciated over many products.
Value Through Process Development
From time to time, a customer has a problem that no current solution can solve. ATS works with customers to understand the issue, identify success criteria and follow a structured engineering approach to design, build and implement an innovative solution. A recent example is related to the manufacture of glass syringes, specifically the bonding of the needle and the glass syringe body, but would be applicable to any product requiring the bonding of two parts using a UV-cured adhesive. The typical light source for UV curing is a mercury vapour lamp but these are being phased out in order to protect human health. So what is the alternative? ATS has been working with an adhesive supplier on an LED-generated UV curing process and has demonstrated equivalence with the mercury vapour lamp UV source. Download whitepaper: LED-generated UV for Adhesive Curing in Medical Devices
ATS’ Commitment to Innovation
Throughout ATS’ history, innovative solutions have been key to the success of delivered systems and our customers’ loyalty. More recently, ATS has put a deliberate focus on innovation in order to get ahead of technology evolution in the marketplace and to be ready with solutions for the challenges our customers are facing. We have created the ATS Automation Innovation Center dedicated to accelerating the transformation of new ideas into state-of-the-art products, processes and services that enable the delivery of world leading manufacturing solutions. The ATS AIC is staffed with subject matter experts from across the ATS organization committed to soliciting and building a funnel of ideas, prioritizing candidates, proposing, testing, and developing solutions, and then deploying the final results, all in a disciplined manner. The intent is that all ATS employees can submit innovation ideas and entertain joining the ATS AIC team as a career development opportunity. In this way we maintain a fresh outlook and increase our eyes on the customer and their specific needs, on the market and arising trends, and on the social, political, and economic conditions and influences. Experience a virtual tour of the new expansion area, including the ATS Innovation Center here
