CAMBRIDGE, ON, Nov. 30, 2021 /CNW/ - ATS Automation Tooling
Systems Inc. (TSX: ATA) ("ATS" or the "Company"), an
industry-leading automation solutions provider, today provided an
update on its recently received Order Booking valued at
approximately $30 million from Bruce
Power, the operator of one of the largest nuclear power plants in
North America.
The award relates to the refurbishment of Bruce Power's Unit 3
reactor, further strengthening ATS and Bruce Power's long-term
partnership, which includes the ongoing Major Component Replacement
(MCR) program.
ATS' scope of work includes an industry-first: automating the
installation and inspection of calandria tubes – an innovative
approach for CANDU nuclear plants. ATS will also provide training
and support for the Bruce Power team and enter a partnership to
provide spare replacement parts. The Order Booking was added to
ATS' Order Backlog in the second quarter of fiscal 2022 and is
expected to be delivered over the next 15 months.
"For the past ten years, ATS has been a strategic partner, most
recently designing, building, and integrating a new class of
automation tools for reactor refurbishment," said Eric Chassard, Executive Vice President of
Projects and Engineering at Bruce Power. "The remote capabilities
and precision of ATS Industrial Automation systems will help us
reach our goal of net-zero by automating and modernizing our
infrastructure to improve safety, performance and efficiency."
"Using the ATS Business Model for Success, our team partnered
closely with Bruce Power to achieve a common purpose, working
together as one team," said Udo
Panenka, President of ATS Industrial Automation. "This type
of collaboration demonstrates how innovation and technology can
advance refurbishment efforts, which include delivering the first
fully automated system for fuel channel installation in a CANDU
nuclear reactor, while ensuring the health and safety of workers
and the dependable operation of a critical energy source."
Supporting Bruce Power's Ongoing MCR Program
The Bruce Power MCR team recently completed the removal work
associated with Unit 6 and entered the inspection and installation
phase of new fuel channels that will extend the facility's life for
40 years. ATS has been a partner to Bruce Power for over a decade
and has played a vital role in designing, testing, and
manufacturing all the automation systems used to support the safe
removal of pressure tubes, calandria tubes, and other components.
ATS' long-standing relationship with Bruce Power included
co-development of The Bruce Reactor Inspection and Maintenance
System (BRIMS).
The Bruce Power MCR program began with Unit 6 in January 2020, followed by Units 3 through 8,
extending the life of the site to 2064. Bruce Power's
Life-Extension Program, which includes Asset Management and MCR,
began on Jan. 1, 2016, and remains on
time and on budget.
About Bruce Power
Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an
electricity company based in Bruce County, Ontario. We are powered by our people. Our
4,200 employees are the foundation of our accomplishments and are
proud of the role they play in safely delivering clean, reliable,
low-cost nuclear power to families and businesses across the
province and life-saving medical isotopes across the globe. Bruce
Power has worked hard to build strong roots in Ontario and is committed to protecting the
environment and supporting the communities in which we live. Learn
more at www.brucepower.com.
About ATS
ATS is an industry-leading automation
solutions provider to many of the world's most successful
companies. ATS uses its extensive knowledge base and global
capabilities in custom automation, repeat automation, automation
products and value-added services, including pre-automation and
after-sales services, to address the sophisticated manufacturing
automation systems and service needs of multinational customers in
markets such as life sciences, food & beverage, transportation,
consumer products, and energy. Founded in 1978, ATS employs over
5,000 people at 28 manufacturing facilities and over 50 offices in
North America, Europe, Southeast
Asia and China. The
Company's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the
symbol ATA. Visit the Company's website at
www.atsautomation.com.
Note to Readers:
Non-IFRS Measures
Order Bookings and Order Backlog are non-IFRS measure and do not
have any standardized meaning prescribed within IFRS and therefore
may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other
companies. Such measures should not be considered in isolation or
as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance
with IFRS. Additional information on non-IFRS measures can be found
in the Company's MD&A on SEDAR or on the Investor's section of
the Company's website.
Forward-looking Statements
This news release contains certain statements that constitute
forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable
securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Such
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results,
performance or achievements of ATS, or developments in ATS'
business or in its industry, to differ materially from the
anticipated results, performance, achievements or developments
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements include all disclosure regarding
possible events, conditions or results of operations that are based
on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of
action. Forward-looking statements may also include, without
limitation, any statement relating to future events, conditions or
circumstances. Forward-looking statements relate to, among other
things, the announcement of a new Order Booking; and the
anticipated timeline for delivery. The risks and uncertainties that
may affect forward-looking statements include, among others: the
progression of COVID-19 and its impacts on the Company's ability to
operate its assets, including the possible shut-down of facilities
due to COVID-19 outbreaks; the severity and duration of the
COVID-19 pandemic in all jurisdictions where the Company conducts
its business; the nature and extent of government imposed
restrictions on travel and business activities and the nature,
extent, and applicability of government assistance programs, in
both cases related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as applicable in all
jurisdictions where the Company conducts its business; the impact
of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's employees, customers, and
suppliers; the impact of the global economy and general market
performance; that the timing of completion of the program is other
than as expected due to various reasons, including schedule changes
or COVID-19 pandemic related factors; the customer exercising any
right to terminate the program in whole or in part prior to its
completion, thereby preventing ATS from realizing on the full
benefit of the program; that one or more customers, or other
entities with which the Company has contracted, experience
insolvency or bankruptcy with resulting delays, costs or losses to
the Company; political, labour or supplier disruptions; risks
relating to legal proceedings to which ATS is or may become a
party; exposure to product and/or professional liability claims;
and other risks detailed from time to time in ATS' filings with
Canadian provincial securities regulators. Forward-looking
statements are based on management's current plans, estimates,
projections, beliefs and opinions, and other than as required by
applicable securities laws, ATS does not undertake any obligation
to update forward-looking statements should assumptions related to
these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions
change.
SOURCE ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc.
