History

The vision of a leader becomes a reality

Inspired by Mr. Raymond Ouellette, the entrepreneur, and his vision that doorglass is above all a design product and not a construction product, the Novatech Group was founded in 1982 and today has a presence in more than 15 countries in the world. Since the beginning, Novatech positioned itself as a component specialist in the door and doorglass markets to sell exclusively to prehangers of finished products. In 2012, the Novatech group regrouped half a dozen subsidiaries with more than 500 employees. Moreover, Mr. Raymond Ouellette was proud to announce the appointment of Mr. Harold Savard as President and General Manager of the Novatech Group effective July 2011.

In the 1980s, Novatech revolutionized and contributed to the emergence of the door and doorglass markets. During the 1990s, the company climbed the ranks to become one of the major manufacturers of doorglass in North America. The use of some of the most innovative technologies in the industry has contributed to the positioning of the company among industry leaders in Canada.

Today, the Novatech Group is completely vertically integrated: glass transformation, custom making of door glass, manufacturing of steel and fiberglass door panels, bending and extrusion of PVC, etc. The Novatech Group’s facilities are ultra modern and combined cover an area of more than 495,000 square feet.

Supported by two distribution centers in Toronto and Calgary, Novatech’s expansion was to the benefit of all as well as the diversification of its product offering. This diversification included the 1998 introduction of manufacturing of PVC patio and garden doors, with the star product being the Imagine door with integrated mini-blinds between the glass panes. In May 2010, The Novatech Group acquired Résiver Patio Doors, which specializes in the manufacture of PVC doors. Résiver is able to develop improved versions of the Imagine patio door. Moreover, In 2003, the company began manufacturing steel entry doors and launched its fibreglass door business in 2007.

Novatech’s main plant received ISO 9002 certification in December 1997, one of the most prestigious international standards. The Vernova and Sundor divisions soon followed in 1999. More recently, Novatech, Vernova and Sundor all received ISO 9001 certification.

The transformation of Novatech from a local supplier to a North American industry leader continues to accelerate. This transformation is manifested in the pursuit of excellence, automation and innovation at all levels of the company. Continuous improvement and value creation for its customers are part of the company culture by means of its one-of-a-kind program “SAGE” (Global Continuous Improvement Program) that was launched in 2004. In 2009 the Novatech Group also created an innovation center that is completely dedicated to the research and development of new products.

In 2011, The Novatech Group is proud to announce its partnership with a European group in order to launch Novatech Europe, which will specialize in the manufacture of standard and custom steel panels, glazing units for steel panels and glazing stops, at the same time as becoming an important distribution center for the European market.