History

One of the few North American Engineering Firms Entirely Dedicated to structure durability

Founded in 1989, Service d’Expertise en Matériaux (S.E.M.) Inc. was a spin-off of the Research Center on Concrete Infrastructure, a world-class research network in civil engineering. In 1997, Service d’Expertise en Matériaux (S.E.M.) Inc. already recognized as one of the few North American engineering firms entirely dedicated to concrete durability problems and to the extension of the service life of concrete infrastructure, created SIMCO Technologies Inc. As a subsidiary of S.E.M., SIMCO was focused on the development of numerical tools for determining the chemical and physical degradation of concrete and predicting the remaining service life.

In 2002, SIMCO Technologies received an investment from SOVAR, the research valorization entity of Laval University. From 2004 to 2009, SIMCO and its U.S. affiliate, Materials Service Life LLC (MSL), created and managed SUMMA, the most dynamic integrated solution development consortium of the construction industry. The research and development work carried out under SUMMA helped further the development of the STADIUM® Software.

In 2009, S.E.M. and its subsidiaries SIMCO and MSL, have proceeded to a corporate reorganization that lead to a merger into one corporation that kept the SIMCO name. Under the unified banner of SIMCO Technologies Inc, our company is now a world leader in concrete science.

A few years later, in 2018, SIMCO expanded its scope of activity by acquiring Cosigma Structure Inc., a firm specializing in civil and structural engineering, with a focus on the inspection and rehabilitation of heritage, commercial, industrial, and maritime structures. In 2025, the two entities adopted a unified corporate identity: SIMCO Durability Engineering. SIMCO continues to strengthen its position as a global reference in structural sustainability by offering innovative and distinctive solutions that combine materials engineering and structural engineering.