Walter Surface Technologies' 60th Anniversary

Walter Somers and a few colleagues opened Walter Surface Technologies near Montreal in 1952. Now selling in three continents, Walter is celebrating 60 years of business.
   
Somers laid the company foundation during the 1950s and 1960s. Emphasizing ‘’total performance’’, Walter concentrated on bringing the best tools to Canada, first by importing them from Europe, then by developing and manufacturing their own brand throughout the years.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Walter added another dimension to its company philosophy: work safety, for both its employees and its customers. This idea provided the grounds to establish new objectives for product development: Walter must create products that would not only improve productivity, but improve health and safety in the workplace as well.

The 1990s and 2000s witnessed an international expansion program that began in 1989, when Pierre Somers succeeded his father as director of the company. The Walter Company experienced notable increases in sales and profitability in South American and European markets. The first environmentally-friendly “green products” (branded as Bio-Circle Environmental Solutions) were also launched at this time, long before the phrase “sustainable development” found its way into popular business usage.

Walter faithfully fosters its core corporate values. Increasing efficiency, accelerating cost reduction, and improving processes that favor the well-being of workers will drive all future technical innovations.

Walter’s new international headquarters is located in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. Built according to LEED standards, the complex expresses Walter’s commitment to sustainable development. This center was designed to follow the best engineering and management practices: optimized energy efficiency, ideal working conditions that favor the health and well-being of employees along with ultra-efficient logistics and warehouse systems. The new building serves as the world center for management and research. This is where Walter’s future will take shape.