Our Company
Our History
In 1989, Marcel Bourassa found a small company called Savaria that was building wheelchair lifts. Looking for a business he could grow for the long term, he saw the potential to serve the growing needs of the aging population. He purchased Savaria and set upon a path to expand the company's product line and distribution.
As the Executive Chairman of Savaria today, Marcel looks back on 35 years of history with a great sense of pride for what he and the entire team at the company have accomplished to become a leading manufacturer in the accessibility industry. In 2014, he created the Bourassa Savaria Foundation to give back to people challenged with mobility issues.
Our Company
Savaria operates a global manufacturing network with four plants in Canada (Magog (Québec), Brampton, Beamsville (Ontario) and Surrey (British Columbia)), two in the United States (Greenville (South Carolina) and St. Louis (Missouri)), one in Querétaro City (Mexico), five in Europe (Milan (Italy), Newton Abbot, Birmingham, and Kingswinford (U.K.) and Heerhugowaard (the Netherlands), and two in China (Huizhou and Xiamen). The Corporation has direct sales offices in Canada, the United States, in seven European countries (Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland and United Kingdom) and Australia. It also operates an extensive worldwide dealer network. The Corporation's head office is located in Laval, Québec, Canada.
Accessibility Products
Through its Accessibility segment, Savaria designs, manufactures, distributes and installs a wide portfolio of accessibility products including commercial elevators, home elevators, stairlifts and platform lifts for personal, residential or commercial applications. Savaria products are sold worldwide through a network of approximately 1,500 dealers as well as through 28 Corporation-owned direct sales offices, through which the Corporation also provides installation, repair and maintenance services.
Through its Silver Cross division, the Corporation operates a network of franchises and corporate stores in which new and refurbished accessibility equipment is sold. Silver Cross Automotive Inc. is a retailer of wheelchair-accessible vehicles for personal and commercial customers with locations in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.
Patient Care Products
Savaria designs and manufactures an innovative ceiling lift product line designed to meet the needs of patients and caregivers by safely repositioning patients in bed or proceeding with a transfer of a patient from wheelchair to bed or bath areas using the overhead ceiling lift. Span-America Medical Systems Inc. (“Span”) makes medical beds, therapeutic support surfaces and pressure management products used in healthcare facilities such as long-term care and nursing homes. Silvalea based in Newton Abbot, U.K., manufactures patient transfer slings and accessories.