AtkinsRéalis facts for kids
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Trade name
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AtkinsRéalis |
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| Public | |
| Traded as | TSX: ATRL OTC Pink: SNCAF |
| Industry | Engineering, construction, airports, building services, electrical grids, environmental protection & remediation, hydroelectricity, manufacturing, metallurgy, mining, nuclear power, ports, rail transport, roads, water & wastewater |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Founder | Arthur Surveyer |
| Headquarters | 455 René-Lévesque Boulevard West Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
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Key people
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| Products | Engineering services, project management, construction, construction management, procurement and operations and maintenance |
| Revenue |  CA$8.6 billion (2023) |
| CA$287.2 million (2023) |
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Number of employees
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37000 (2023) |
AtkinsRéalis is a big Canadian company based in Montreal. It used to be called SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.. The company helps design, build, and manage large projects around the world. They work in many areas like mining, water, transportation, and clean energy.
AtkinsRéalis was Canada's biggest construction company by how much money it made in 2021. They have about 37,000 employees in over 50 countries. They also work on projects in more than 160 countries.
Contents
What AtkinsRéalis Does
AtkinsRéalis works in several important areas. These include buildings, defense, mining, power, transportation, and water. For each area, they offer many services.
- Design and Planning: They help plan and design projects.
- Building and Managing: They build and manage large construction projects.
- Operations and Maintenance: They also help keep things running smoothly after they are built.
Their projects include things like mass transit systems, highways, bridges, and airports. They also work on industrial and commercial buildings. In mining, they help with projects for different minerals. For power, they work on hydro power, nuclear power, and other clean energy projects.
How the Company Started
SNC: The Early Years (1911–1991)
The company started in 1911. Arthur Surveyer opened an engineering office in Montréal. He had studied engineering and worked on public projects. At that time, electricity was becoming very important. Surveyer worked on projects to create electricity from water, called hydropower.
In 1912, he worked on a power network for the city of Grand-Mère. A big project that helped the company grow was the Saint-Maurice River hydroelectric power station. Surveyer's company designed and supervised this project. They became experts in water projects and soon started working in industries like paper and mining.
In 1937, Surveyer partnered with Emil Nenniger and Georges Chênevert. The company's name later became Surveyer, Nenniger and Chênevert. This name was eventually shortened to SNC.
In 1967, Camille A. Dagenais became the head of SNC. He led the company until 1975. He was known for his work on large hydropower projects in Canada and other countries. One major project was the Daniel-Johnson Dam in Quebec. SNC also got its first international contract in 1963. This was to design and build a power station in India.
Lavalin: A Rival Company (1936–1991)
SNC had a main competitor in Canada called Lalonde, Valois International Limited. This company was started in 1936 by engineers Jean-Paul Lalonde and Romeo Valois. Bernard Lamarre later became the director and CEO of this company in 1962. He led it for 29 years.
In 1972, the company changed its name to Lavalin. In the 1970s, Lavalin designed the fabric roof for Montreal's Olympic Stadium. They also worked on the James Bay Project.
By 1986, Lavalin was Canada's largest engineering firm. SNC was the second largest. Both were among the biggest engineering firms in the world. Lavalin also started other businesses, like cable television. They founded The Weather Network in 1988. By 1990, Lavalin had over 70 companies. In 1991, Lavalin had to sell its businesses to its rival, SNC.
SNC-Lavalin: The Merger (1991–2023)
After the two companies merged, Bernard Lamarre stayed with the new company, SNC-Lavalin, until 1999. He worked on big projects like the Trans-Canada Highway in Montreal. He also oversaw projects in other countries.
Bernard Lamarre's younger brother, Jacques Lamarre, became SNC-Lavalin's CEO in 1996. He stayed in that role until 2009.
Growing Through New Partnerships
SNC-Lavalin grew by buying other companies and working with partners. In the 1990s, they partnered with Bombardier to build transportation projects. SNC-Lavalin also bought a share in Ontario's Highway 407 toll road. They later sold part of this share for a good profit.
In 2011, SNC-Lavalin bought the part of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited that built commercial nuclear reactors. They created a new company called Candu Energy to sell and supply CANDU reactors.
In 2014, SNC-Lavalin bought an Irish engineering and construction company called Kentz. In 2017, they bought a UK company called WS Atkins. This was a big step for the company.
In 2018, SNC-Lavalin teamed up with ABB to create a new company called Linxon. This company works on projects for electrical substations. In 2021, SNC-Lavalin sold its oil and gas businesses.
AtkinsRéalis: A New Name (2023–)
On September 13, 2023, SNC-Lavalin announced a new name: AtkinsRéalis. The CEO, Ian Edwards, said the new name combines the Atkins brand with 'Réalis'. 'Réalis' is inspired by Montreal and the company's French-Canadian roots. It also sounds like 'realize', meaning 'to make happen'. The new name was used right away.
In 2023, AtkinsRéalis also sold its businesses in Scandinavia to a French engineering company.
Major Projects in Canada
SNC-Lavalin has worked on many important projects in Canada.
- In 1999, they were part of a group that leased Ontario Highway 407 for 99 years.
- In the early 2000s, they repaired Montreal's Jacques Cartier Bridge.
- In 2002–2003, they studied the Lac Doré Vanadium Deposit. They found it was the largest vanadium deposit in North America.
- In 2005, they won a contract to build the Brun-way project in New Brunswick. This project made Route 2 a divided highway.
- Also in 2005, they were chosen to design, build, and operate the William R. Bennett Bridge in Kelowna, British Columbia.
- In 2004, they got the contract for the Canada Line in Vancouver. This is part of the SkyTrain system. It was finished early in 2009.
- They built the Goreway Power Station in Ontario, which started working in 2009. They also built the Ermine Power Station in Saskatchewan in 2009.
- In 2010, they finished building a large hospital at the McGill University Health Centre.
- In 2015, they won an award for their work on the Halifax Central Library. They helped create a major landmark for the city.
- They are also involved in the Eglinton Crosstown line and Confederation Line (LRT) projects in Toronto and Ottawa. These are light rail transit lines.
International Projects
AtkinsRéalis has also completed many projects around the world.
- In 1995, SNC-Lavalin won a big contract to update hydropower stations for the Indian government.
- In 2007, they won a large contract for the Ambatovy mine in Madagascar. This was the biggest project in Madagascar's history. It was finished in 2010.
- In 2016, they won a contract for gas facilities in the United States.
- In March 2016, they were awarded a contract for a gas processing project in the Middle East.
Major Investors
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is a very important partner for AtkinsRéalis. This organization manages the Quebec Pension Plan. It is one of the largest pension funds in Canada. It has increased its funding for companies in Quebec.
