"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," says Lawrence G. Tapp, nonexecutive chairman of the board at ATS.

The ATS board of directors has since appointed Ron Jutras as president and CEO. Jutras joined the company in 1985 as chief financial officer and was most recently executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer. He is also a member of the executive management committee.

"Speaking on behalf of all of us at ATS, it's been both an honor and a privilege working with Klaus," Jutras says. "This is a sad time for all of us at ATS, and our thoughts and prayers are with Klaus' family."

ATS, an automated assembly and test systems manufacturer, was founded in 1978 and currently has about 4,000 employees working in 26 facilities around the world.