History

Beginnings

Kinectrics’ origins can be traced to 1912 as the technical and research division of Ontario Hydro, a major Canadian electrical utility founded on hydroelectric power, which eventually grew at one point into the largest electrical utility in North America—covering generation from nuclear, fossil, hydroelectric, and renewable sources, as well as transmission and distribution.

From its one-workshop beginnings as Ontario Hydro Research Division (OHRD), Kinectrics has focused on the development and application of advanced technologies for the power industry.

In the 1990s, provincial policy resulted in the demerger and re-organization of Ontario Hydro into a number of companies. OHRD was also re-organized, first as Ontario Hydro Technologies (OHT), and eventually Ontario Power Technologies (OPT), under the demerged generation company, Ontario Power Generation (OPG).

Kinectrics was spun-off as a private consulting corporation in 2000, under AEA Technology plc as its new owners, before being sold in 2006 to its current owner, a private equity fund, managed by Vision Capital of the UK.

In the five years since the last transition, Kinectrics doubled its revenue, and has grown its staff to pre-demerger levels. Part of the Kinectrics growth strategy includes commercialization of its valuable intellectual property. In 2006, taking a step in this direction in the area of Transmission and Distribution (T&D), Kinectrics incorporated one of its T&D units as Kinects Solutions Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary. Kinects Solutions Inc. continues to operate as a leading developer of innovative, intelligent, and visionary products aimed at realization of a utility Smart Grid.

Kinectrics began laying further groundwork for expansion of the Kinectrics Group in 2007 by finalizing an agreement to acquire Axiom NDT Corporation of Cambridge, Ontario, an established company specializing in field inspection technologies of critical components for power generation and other industries.

In 2009, Kinectrics acquired Candesco Corporation of Toronto, Ontario. This initiative greatly expanded Kinectrics’ expertise in nuclear regulatory and licensing consulting, safety assessment, radiation and environmental protection, and operational safety support.

In 2010, Kinectrics opened a new branch office in Pickering, Ontario to enhance and expedite qualified technical support for Ontario's existing and future nuclear generation infrastructure in the Pickering and Darlington areas. Risk analysis, non-destructive testing and nuclear licensing services, provided by Axiom NDT and Candesco respectively, are also accessible through the new Ontario location.

More recently, in mid-2010, a new facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, was opened by Kinectrics in support of its Kinectrics US subsidiary, reflecting the company’s continuing investment in providing superior technical support throughout North America to maintain nuclear power as a clean, reliable source of energy. The Cincinnati facility oversees and manages equipment qualification and commercial grade dedication programs in the United States, and facilitates access to Kinectrics’ array of engineering and testing solutions. 

Kinectrics continues to grow as a unique company, with staff who thrive on challenges that others find daunting, and succeeds where investment in the future—in facilities, capability, and people—provides a touchstone for its vision.

Kinectrics is a former utility laboratory that has achieved commercial success as an independent testing, inspection, certification and consulting company.

Kinectrics is a new, entrepreneurial company—but one with a record of 100 years of technical excellence and innovation, a tradition that continues to this day.