W.R. Davis Engineering Ltd.
Title
W.R. Davis Engineering Ltd.
Davis Engineering
WR Davis Engineering Ltd.
Type
Company
Coverage
Ottawa, ON
Begin Date
1975-01-01
Active Until
Ongoing
Location
Sheffield Road, Ottawa, ON (1978-c.1979)
Cyrville Road, Ottawa, ON (1979-c.1985)
1260 Old Innes Road, Ottawa, ON (1985-)
Product Areas
Aerospace
Defence
Electronics
Control Systems
Activities
Designing
Manufacturing
Timeline
- 1975 – Founded as a consulting business by Rolly Davis in a house in Blackburn Hamlet, Ottawa, ON, and then later on Woodward Avenue, Ottawa, ON. (Fully Tested, 14-15)
- 1976 – A partnership between Rolly Davis and Dennis Eryou is established as formal consultancy under the name Davis Eryou & Associates. (Fully Tested, 15)
- 1978 – Company moves to 5,000-foot building on Sheffield Road, Ottawa, ON. (Fully Tested, 16)
- 1979? – The company moves to a “larger building” on Cyrville Road, Ottawa, ON, and is largely relying on government contracts. (Fully Tested, 18)
- 1979 – The company splits, creating DEW Engineering under Dennis Eryou. The remaining core of the company is renamed WR Davis Engineering. (Fully Tested, 20)
- 1984 – Working with computer consultant Bill MacSween, the company founds Demac Software, writing software for the VAX Minicomputer, SqueezePak (Fully Tested, 27)
1985 – The company occupies a new building at 1260 Old Innes Road, Ottawa, ON. (Fully Tested, 25)
- 1988 – Company sells 51% of its shares to private-equity firm Kettlewell, Kettlewell and Craig (KKC); this relationship lasts for under twelve months until Rolly Davis buys back the 51% share using funds raised from Demac. (Fully Tested, 30)
- 1988 – The company takes on most of its manufacturing, previously sub-contracted. (Fully Tested, 31)
- Early 1990s – Davis Engineering develops heat suppressors, an anti-heat-seeking missile technology, selling to militaries. (Fully Tested, 34-43)
- 2022 – Has “a 50,000-square foot plant on Old Innes Road in Ottawa, Ontario.” (1260 Old Innes Road, Ottawa, ON) (Fully Tested)
- 2024 – Active, advertising IR Suppression for aircraft and naval vessels, gas turbine exhaust cooling, and anti-electromagnetic signal technology (active shaft grounding). ("Davis: Engineering Advantage")
- 1976 – A partnership between Rolly Davis and Dennis Eryou is established as formal consultancy under the name Davis Eryou & Associates. (Fully Tested, 15)
- 1978 – Company moves to 5,000-foot building on Sheffield Road, Ottawa, ON. (Fully Tested, 16)
- 1979? – The company moves to a “larger building” on Cyrville Road, Ottawa, ON, and is largely relying on government contracts. (Fully Tested, 18)
- 1979 – The company splits, creating DEW Engineering under Dennis Eryou. The remaining core of the company is renamed WR Davis Engineering. (Fully Tested, 20)
- 1984 – Working with computer consultant Bill MacSween, the company founds Demac Software, writing software for the VAX Minicomputer, SqueezePak (Fully Tested, 27)
1985 – The company occupies a new building at 1260 Old Innes Road, Ottawa, ON. (Fully Tested, 25)
- 1988 – Company sells 51% of its shares to private-equity firm Kettlewell, Kettlewell and Craig (KKC); this relationship lasts for under twelve months until Rolly Davis buys back the 51% share using funds raised from Demac. (Fully Tested, 30)
- 1988 – The company takes on most of its manufacturing, previously sub-contracted. (Fully Tested, 31)
- Early 1990s – Davis Engineering develops heat suppressors, an anti-heat-seeking missile technology, selling to militaries. (Fully Tested, 34-43)
- 2022 – Has “a 50,000-square foot plant on Old Innes Road in Ottawa, Ontario.” (1260 Old Innes Road, Ottawa, ON) (Fully Tested)
- 2024 – Active, advertising IR Suppression for aircraft and naval vessels, gas turbine exhaust cooling, and anti-electromagnetic signal technology (active shaft grounding). ("Davis: Engineering Advantage")
Sources
Davis, R. Fully Tested: The Story of WR Davis Engineering (Barlow Book Publishing Inc., 2023) https://www.davis-eng.com/fully_tested.html
"Davis: Engineering Advantage" https://www.davis-eng.com/ [11-07-24]
"Davis: Engineering Advantage" https://www.davis-eng.com/ [11-07-24]
Citation
“W.R. Davis Engineering Ltd.,” Precision Instrument Culture in Canada, accessed October 16, 2024, http://omeka.uottawa.ca/instrument-precision/items/show/2135.