OUR FOUNDING
Our history is long and complex, but each step shaped our expertise, augmented by the skills and knowledge of the people and companies we’ve worked with.
Our roots date back to 1875 with the inception of the Robert Mitchell company, one of the many companies whose history and expertise we’ve benefitted from. But the true foundation of Douglas Barwick as we know it today was formed by two brothers 70 years later.
Douglas Barwick’s official origin starts with Thomas H Douglas and Donald H Douglas incorporating Douglas Bros Limited in 1945. Just two years later, they moved their operations to Montreal, QC, where they ran the company together for another nine years before they sold Douglas Bros Limited to the Robert Mitchell Company. In 1961, Robert Mitchell purchased the remaining shares of Douglas Bros Limited and Douglas Bros became a division of their organization.
The knowledge, expertise, and guidance of a manufacturer with nearly nine decades of history behind them shaped who we are today. Under Robert Mitchell’s management, the Douglas Bros Stainless Steel Piping Division became one of the most recognized and respected light-wall stainless-steel piping manufacturers in North America, a reputation we’ve continued to uphold to this day.
In 1965, Douglas Brothers USA was formed with the creation of an American facility. This established a clear divide between Douglas Brothers Canada and the American division of the company.
Douglas Barwick was born from the merger of Douglas Brothers Canada and their rival, Henderson Barwick, by Canerector after their acquisition of the Robert Mitchell Company in 2000. Henderson Barwick was also a long-time and experienced stainless steel pipe fabricator with almost eight decades of history and experience to contribute.
In 2001, our pipe fabrication operations were consolidated into one facility, and the work force streamlined into smaller, more efficient operating units. The consolidation placed all manufacturing of pipe at one location in Brockville Ontario, Canada, where we continue to operate to this day.
OUR CUSTOMERS
Most industries need pipe, and we’re there to help them.
Our roots started by servicing the pulp and paper industry, eventually expanding to provide high quality, large, industrial pipe and fittings to clients in the municipal water treatment sector. Now we provide our piping to numerous markets, including oil and gas, food and beverage processing, chemical and petrochemical manufacturing, and more.
OUR LOCATION
Our Brockville facility is the largest plant of its kind in Canada, and we remain the only producers in the country of large-scale, welded stainless-steel piping.
Located on the 401, with direct access to our customers and suppliers in the United States, Brockville, ON has been our sole location since 2001, and our favourite location for more than 50 years. While the company names have changed more than a few times over the years, the plant itself has consistently been a mainstay of the community, producing not only industrial pipe, but also pipe elbows, fittings, and other accessories.
WHO WE ARE TODAY
Remembering where we’ve been reminds us of who we are.
At Douglas Barwick, we aren’t only Canada’s foremost experts on light-wall stainless-steel pipe and fittings. We’re also the pinnacle of centuries of combined experience and skills with long-refined principles and practices to match. Discover the actions and values that guide our present day at Douglas Barwick.