Earlier in September, German media reported that ATW, a subsidiary of Canada’s ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc, was on the verge of liquidation due to a sharp cut in orders. Then, on September 25, ATS announced that the assets of one of its German subsidiaries would be sold to a third party without disclosing the name of the buying company.

Further, this week, the European and Wirtschaftskurier revealed that ATW’s business partners received notice on Tuesday of its takeover by a California- based electric vehicle maker. Tesla’s name is not specified, although most likely it is she who is the buyer.

ATW’s office in Neuwied (Germany, pictured above) is just an hour’s drive from Tesla Grohmann Automation in Prum, Germany, where Tesla makes most of its battery manufacturing equipment.

According to the ATS website, ATW has approximately 120 employees. To date, it has supplied over 20 battery production lines to automotive companies.