Frank Hasenfratz, a Hungarian immigrant who turned a one-man tooling shop in the basement of his family's home in Ontario into one of the industry's biggest suppliers, died at 86.
He was the founder and executive chairman of Linamar Corp., a supplier of powertrain and driveline components that now employs 25,000 people around the world. The company said Hasenfratz died at his home Jan. 8 after a battle with cancer.
"It was his vision and unrelenting drive that enabled us to build the company that Linamar is today," his daughter and Linamar CEO Linda Hasenfratz said in a statement.
"He leaves a tremendous legacy on the Canadian business landscape, changed the lives of so many, and provided careers, livelihoods and opportunities for thousands of people.
"He inspired and taught so many, myself most profoundly, and his spirit will live on in each of us as we continue to build the legacy of Linamar."
Frank Hasenfratz was born in Hungary in 1935 and moved to Canada in 1957 following the Hungarian Revolution. He began Linamar as a one-man operation in 1966 in the basement of his family home north of Guelph, Ontario.
Linamar ranks No. 60 on the Automotive News list of the top global suppliers, with worldwide sales to automakers of $3.2 billion in 2020. Linamar, which went public in 1986, now has 60 manufacturing plants and 12 R&D centers in 17 countries.
In 2001, the company acquired Skyjack as it diversified into industrial equipment. In 2003, it bought McLaren Performance Technologies to bolster its technical product engineering capabilities. In 2007, it acquired Ford Motor Co.'s Power Transfer Unit business.
During his career, Hasenfratz was honored as Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year, inducted into the Canadian Manufacturing Hall of Fame and the Canadian Business Hall of Fame, and was appointed to the Order of Canada.
