22.09.2009

PM opens Linamar R&D centre

The prime minister of Canada Stephen Harper opened Linamar’s new Frank Hasenfratz Centre of Excellence in Manufacturing in Guelph yesterday. The new centre, which is backed by around $44-million from the Ontario government, with a further $55-million loan coming from the federal government

The Centre is dedicated to ‘ innovation in the engineering and processing of Linamar's products and the development of people critical to the company's success’ and will focus on environmental innovation to make vehicles more fuel efficient and reduce emissions.
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(L-R) Prime minister Stephen Harper operates a robot with industry minister Tony Clement

Linda Hasenfratz, Linamar’s chief executive said: "This Centre is a testament to who we are as a company, but it is also a tribute to where we came from. It is a company founded by an inspirational man with a vision to build a business, Frank Hasenfratz. He once said that when he started Linamar he had a vision of having a business employing 20 or 30 people, a vision that clearly did not come true considering the 9,000 people we employ globally at Linamar. This Centre is a testament not only to our history, but to the man who inspired it all and remains a driving force behind our prosperity and success."

Linamar is the parent company of Skyjack, the aerial work platform and telehandler manufacturer.