Novatech Group celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Sainte-Julie, Québec, March 16, 2022 – This year marks 40 years of Canada’s leading window and door parts manufacturer. Headquartered in Sainte-Julie, Novatech Group has completed a series of strategic acquisitions in recent years that have grown the company significantly beyond Québec to become a major player in the window and door components industry throughout North America.
From a Montérégie basement to international markets
Founder Raymond Ouellette set out on this great adventure to provide door manufacturers with stained doorglass on March 16, 1982. He began by testing a brand new glass technology for decorative windows in his own basement.
Four decades, 17 plants and distribution centres, a strong presence in North America and overseas, and countless awards later, Novatech has become a leading manufacturer of doors and doorglass.
Novatech Group’s President and CEO Harold Savard commemorated the anniversary in a statement: “I am proud of our impressive track record. Novatech has grown steadily from just 15 employees to include over 1,400 people across North America and Europe who dedicate themselves each and every day to our company’s success. Today, we are poised and more ready than ever to achieve our development objectives in the United States and everywhere else in Canada. A bright future lies ahead for our great team, our employees, business partners and our many customers.”
A rich history of growth and innovation
The Group opened its steel door panel plant in 2002, which then quickly became the leading supplier of steel door panels to door manufacturers in Eastern Canada. The plant is currently nearing the end of a 45,000-square-foot expansion.
In 2010, Novatech Group acquired Resiver Patio Doors and its plants in Beauce, making its aim to develop a patio door product line a reality.
In 2011, nearly 30 years after it was founded, Novatech opened its very first international factory, Novatech Europe, in France. While this represented a significant milestone for the Québec company, the expansion could also be viewed as inevitable given that Novatech Group had long been inspired by the avant-garde sensibility of their continental counterparts. Opening the manufacturing plant to create products suited to European tastes and needs was a logical progression.
They officially entered the United States market on June 17, 2019, after acquiring RSL, a well-established American family business that manufactures and distributes doorglass. Novatech has sold its steel door components and doorglass in the United States ever since. In addition to these two RSL plants, Novatech Group has a plant in Martinsville Virginia, where it distributes and manufactures patio doors.
After acquiring Laurier Architectural in October 2019, Novatech Group now offers a comprehensive line of glazing for large-scale projects like high-rise buildings, schools and various institutional and commercial properties. Laurier is a leader in innovation and research and development, characteristics that are not unlike the DNA of the Novatech Group.
Facing the pandemic, the company is resilient and continues to achieve its ambitions
The company has remained profitable in recent months even amid supply chain issues and labour shortages. In 2021, Novatech Group acquired two patio door production sites: Energi’s plant in Terrebonne, followed by Sunview Patio Doors, a major manufacturer of vinyl and aluminum patio doors in Woodbridge, Ontario. These acquisitions solidify the company’s standing as a prominent force in patio door manufacturing.
“I am especially grateful for the employees, clients and suppliers who have trusted us throughout this journey. Our company is driven day in and day out by a culture of excellence and innovation, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds,” said Raymond Ouellette, Novatech Group’s founder.
About Novatech Group
Founded in 1982, Novatech Group employs more than 1,400 employees and is the Canadian leader in the manufacturing of components for the windows and doors industry. Its state-of-the-art plants manufacture residential steel door panels, doorglass, patio doors, glass products for residential, commercial, institutional, and high-rise buildings as well as for the manufacturing industry. Its North American and international customers are served from its 17 manufacturing facilities and distribution centres located in Québec, Ontario, Calgary, France and the United States. The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) is a strategic partner and minority shareholder of the company since 2012. Novatech Group is ranked among the best-managed companies in Canada.
