ELEM

What ELEM does

ELEM (Groupe Elem Inc) is a privately held Quebec-based holding company founded in 1988 that operates a group of seven specialized subsidiaries delivering engineering, energy, and industrial construction services across Canada. The group's operating entities cover electrical solutions (ONDEL, TALVI), industrial construction (INDUSTRO-TECH), mechanical contracting (DESCIMCO), industrial piping fabrication (QUALIFAB), water-treatment instrumentation (QUANTECH), and industrial process engineering focused on biofuel, thermal systems, and decontamination (OPTING). Together, they provide civil works, high-voltage and medium-voltage electrical services, instrumentation and control, prefabrication of pressurized piping and modules, industrial mechanics, and process engineering to enterprise and public-sector clients.

The group serves a diversified vertical mix — energy (notably Hydro-Québec), oil and gas, mining and metals (including lithium), pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, agriculture, waste management, and institutional/government — with project showcase clients including Nemaska Lithium, Valero, TC Energy, Rio Tinto, Énergir, Westrock, Tembec, Kruger, Montreal Port Authority, McGill University, Université Laval, UQAM, and Ville de Montréal. Technical capabilities include high-voltage substation construction, medium-voltage switchgear and cabling, CSA-approved control panel fabrication, structured cabling, modular prefabrication, and CSA/CWB-certified welding.

Revenue is generated through project-based engineering, construction, and maintenance contracts via direct enterprise sales and competitive tenders. ELEM holds ISO 9001:2015, INF-ISR, and CWB certifications and maintains memberships in CMEQ, CMMTQ, ACQ, CNESST, and ACRGTQ. The company operates three offices (Québec headquarters, Laval, Thornhill/Toronto via QUANTECH) and is supported by partnerships with AKT (OHS and HR) and LAKSON (process engineering). Ownership is private with no disclosed external investors, and the group repositioned its brand in 2022 to emphasize international scope.

Name

ELEM

Legal name

Groupe Elem Inc

Website

https://elem.global

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ELEM (Groupe Elem Inc) is a privately held Quebec-based holding company coordinating seven subsidiaries that deliver engineering, energy, and industrial construction services across Canada. The group serves enterprise and public-sector clients in energy, mining, oil and gas, pulp and paper, water treatment, and institutional infrastructure via project-based contracts and competitive tenders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Construction Services: ELEM generates revenue through project-based engineering and construction contracts, providing services to industrial, commercial, and institutional clients across Canada. Revenue comes from construction mandates, maintenance services, and specialized technical work performed by subsidiary companies.
2. Prefabrication and Manufacturing: The group generates revenue from prefabrication of industrial components including pressurized piping, modules, and custom metal fabrication through subsidiaries like Qualifab and Descimco.
3. Process Engineering and Optimization: OPTING provides industrial process optimization services including process engineering, biofuel production systems, thermal systems, decontamination, and water treatment solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ELEM is a Canadian holding company that coordinates a group of specialized engineering, energy, and construction subsidiaries delivering project-based industrial, commercial, and institutional services. Its subsidiaries provide high- and medium-voltage electrical work, industrial mechanics and piping, instrumentation and automation, prefabricated modules, and process engineering — including biofuel, thermal, decontamination, and water treatment solutions — to enterprise and government clients across Canada.

Product overview

ELEM is a unifying force in Canada's engineering, energy, and construction industry, operating as a conglomerate of seven subsidiary companies offering complementary services. The group includes ONDEL (electrical solutions), INDUSTRO-TECH (industrial construction), DESCIMCO (mechanical contracting), QUALIFAB (industrial piping), TALVI (high-voltage electrical work), QUANTECH (water treatment instrumentation), and OPTING (industrial process engineering). Together, they provide comprehensive services across civil works, high and medium-voltage electricity, instrumentation and controls, industrial piping and mechanics, and process engineering for sectors including energy, oil and gas, mining, pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Works Services Construction and assembly services including civil works, steel structure assembly, building works, and grounding for energy and infrastructure projects, delivered to industrial, commercial, and institutional clients in Canada.
• High-Voltage Electricity Services High-voltage electrical work for substations, transformer stations, and distribution systems, including control and command systems, delivered by the TALVI subsidiary to utilities such as Hydro-Québec.
• Medium-Voltage Electricity Services Medium-voltage electrical services including switchgear, power cable pulling, electrical installations, and low-voltage systems for industrial and institutional applications, delivered by the ONDEL subsidiary.
• Instrumentation and Control Services Automation, instrumentation, and control services including CSA-approved control panel fabrication and structured cabling, delivered by the QUANTECH and ONDEL subsidiaries to industrial, institutional, and water treatment clients.
• Industrial Piping and Mechanics Services Prefabrication of pressurized piping, industrial mechanics, plant and industrial maintenance, boiler room services, and custom metal fabrication delivered by the QUALIFAB and DESCIMCO subsidiaries to industrial clients.
• Process Engineering Services Industrial process engineering including research and development, biochemical engineering, thermodynamics, biofuel production systems, thermal systems, decontamination, and water treatment solutions, delivered by the OPTING subsidiary.

Named customers23 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and support.

• LAKSONcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaborative partnership between ELEM and LAKSON to share LAKSON's innovations in industrial process engineering, biofuel production, thermal systems, decontamination, and water treatment. This partnership was the foundation for creating OPTING, which became one of ELEM's subsidiary companies.
• AKTsupportImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership agreement with AKT supporting the group in OHS (Occupational Health and Safety) prevention and management, as well as human resources management. AKT provides training and consulting services to help ELEM maintain safety standards and HR practices.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Canadian-headquartered global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm. Overlaps with ELEM in water treatment (QUANTECH), energy, mining, and institutional infrastructure, with strong presence in Quebec and Ontario.
• Aecon Group: Canadian construction and infrastructure development company with significant presence in energy (nuclear, hydro, renewables), utilities, and industrial sectors. Comparable to ELEM in utility-scale electrical work and industrial mechanical/electrical scopes across Canada.
• AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin): Canada's largest publicly traded engineering and construction services group, with nuclear, power, industrial, and infrastructure capabilities. Highly comparable as a direct competitor for the same Hydro-Québec, mining, oil and gas, and government infrastructure mandates that ELEM pursues, though operating at vastly greater scale and global scope.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with major Canadian operations across transportation, water, environment, and energy. Comparable to ELEM in large-scale water (Toronto Island, Highland Creek), power, and institutional infrastructure project delivery.
• WSP Global: Canadian-headquartered global professional services firm offering engineering, project management, and consulting across energy, environment, buildings, and transportation. Comparable to ELEM in power (Hydro-Québec), water, transit, and institutional infrastructure, though WSP is a professional services consultancy rather than a construction contractor.
• PCL Construction: Canadian-headquartered, employee-owned general contractor with civil, industrial, commercial, and institutional construction capabilities across North America. Overlaps with ELEM's industrial construction and institutional (hospital, university) project work.

Direct peers

• Black & McDonald: Privately held Canadian multi-trade contractor specializing in electrical, mechanical, utility, and facilities services. Direct peer to ELEM's ONDEL and TALVI subsidiaries, with comparable electrical/instrumentation work for utilities, water treatment, and industrial clients.
• Borea Construction: Quebec-based construction firm specializing in energy and high-voltage projects, including substations and renewable energy builds. Closest direct competitor to ELEM's TALVI subsidiary for Hydro-Québec substation and distribution grid work.
• Pomerleau: Quebec-headquartered Canadian construction firm with strong civil, industrial, mechanical, and electrical self-perform capabilities across energy, infrastructure, and institutional sectors. Closest regional peer to ELEM, competing head-to-head on Quebec-based industrial and government tenders with a comparable integrated multi-trade model.
• EllisDon: Privately held Canadian construction services company with civil, mechanical, electrical, and ICI building capabilities. Comparable to ELEM in industrial and institutional construction across Canada, including energy and infrastructure projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/elemgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elemgroup

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ELEM