"An engineer is a person familiar with known scientific truths and respectful of the laws of nature, one who plans, executes, and economically manages works that will improve the comfort and well-being of humanity."
SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. began as a small Montreal engineering consulting office, opened by Arthur Surveyer in 1911. Growing steadily over the years, this original consulting office built a solid reputation for excellence across Canada in the civil engineering and power sectors, and was one of the first to venture into the new field of industrial plant design. This decision to enter into different sectors of activity allowed it to survive the stock market crash of 1929 and the difficult years of the Great Depression.
In 1937, the small office evolved into a partnership between Arthur Surveyer, Emil Nenniger and Georges Chênevert. Ten years later, in 1947, the name was changed to Surveyer, Nenniger & Chênevert. In 1975, it became SNC Inc.
In the early 1960s, Surveyer, Nenniger & Chênevert completed the Manic 5 dam on the Manicouagan River in northern Quebec, which remains the highest multiple-arch dam in the world. This project's success led to the firm's first international contract in 1963, to design and build the 780 MW Idukki power station in Kerala State, India.
During the 1970s and 1980s, SNC Inc. expanded its range of services to include project management, turnkey projects and project financing. This strategy paved the way for future concession-type projects and private-public partnerships. SNC Inc. also continued to grow into different sectors and expand its expertise through internal development, acquisitions and affiliations. In 1986, SNC Inc. made its first public share offering as a means of supporting this growth.
The most significant development in its history took place in 1991, when the two largest engineering firms in Canada at the time, SNC Inc. and Lavalin Inc., joined forces, making the new company, SNC-Lavalin Inc., a world leader with a vast international network, hundreds of experts in many industry sectors and extensive resources in management and project financing.
SNC-Lavalin has maintained its momentum in internal development, acquisitions and affiliations and has become a world leader in a number of sectors such as agrifood, aluminum, biopharmaceuticals, chemicals and petroleum, the environment, facilities and operations management, infrastructure, mass transit, mining and metallurgy and power.
SNC-Lavalin's growth strategy involves building on its recognized expertise in the core sectors mentioned above, developing its vast international network, and increasing its project financing capabilities to enhance its competitiveness in major projects and infrastructure concessions.