Julien
Encyclopedia
Julien Inc. is a stainless steel
fabrication company. Through its residential, commercial and industrial subcontracting divisions, Julien has completed projects in 13 countries in a wide range of sectors, including transport, electrical and household appliances, agrifood, and the medical and food processing equipment industries.
Julien Inc. has over 300 employees at its headquarters and 170000 square feet (15,793.5 m²) production facility in Quebec City
.
accessories to restaurant
owners in the Quebec City
area. Noting his customers' needs for custom equipment, Mr. Julien opened a factory
and managed it until his death in 1973. In 1974, Somesco Inc. acquired Accessoires de cuisine ltée, which became Les entreprises Julien inc. Management then focused on institutional, commercial, and industrial markets and began handling turnkey kitchen equipment contracts. The company grew quickly and in 1978, management decided to build a new 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) plant.
By the early 80s, the company was active throughout Quebec
and began development of new geographic markets, first in Ontario
, then in the Maritimes
. In 1986, Berthier Chénard, one of the firm's shareholder
s, teamed up with three company executives, including current president and CEO Gilles St-Pierre, to buy out Les entreprises Julien inc. Their goal was to take the company in a new direction by developing the subcontracting market. The following year they computerized the firm's design and management operations and completely automated production. In 1989, Les entreprises Julien inc. acquired its own building and enlarged and modernized its plant.
The following years were marked by the computerization of production and the use of more advanced technology, including modernized management processes, design and manufacturing facilities, digital
ly controlled equipment, and a laser
cutter. Everything was put in place to begin exploring the new industrial subcontracting market. In 1995, Gilles St-Pierre and other company executives acquired Les entreprises Julien inc. The new management team turned its attention to developing its areas of expertise and markets. In 1998, the company changed its name to Julien Inc. The following year, sales reached $36 million CAD
before jumping to $45 million CAD in 2000.
, the Middle East
, and Europe
.
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
fabrication company. Through its residential, commercial and industrial subcontracting divisions, Julien has completed projects in 13 countries in a wide range of sectors, including transport, electrical and household appliances, agrifood, and the medical and food processing equipment industries.
Julien Inc. has over 300 employees at its headquarters and 170000 square feet (15,793.5 m²) production facility in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
.
History
Founded in 1946 by Léo T. Julien under the name Accessoires de cuisine ltée, the company began by selling kitchenKitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
accessories to restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
owners in the Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
area. Noting his customers' needs for custom equipment, Mr. Julien opened a factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
and managed it until his death in 1973. In 1974, Somesco Inc. acquired Accessoires de cuisine ltée, which became Les entreprises Julien inc. Management then focused on institutional, commercial, and industrial markets and began handling turnkey kitchen equipment contracts. The company grew quickly and in 1978, management decided to build a new 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) plant.
By the early 80s, the company was active throughout Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and began development of new geographic markets, first in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, then in the Maritimes
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
. In 1986, Berthier Chénard, one of the firm's shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
s, teamed up with three company executives, including current president and CEO Gilles St-Pierre, to buy out Les entreprises Julien inc. Their goal was to take the company in a new direction by developing the subcontracting market. The following year they computerized the firm's design and management operations and completely automated production. In 1989, Les entreprises Julien inc. acquired its own building and enlarged and modernized its plant.
The following years were marked by the computerization of production and the use of more advanced technology, including modernized management processes, design and manufacturing facilities, digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
ly controlled equipment, and a laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
cutter. Everything was put in place to begin exploring the new industrial subcontracting market. In 1995, Gilles St-Pierre and other company executives acquired Les entreprises Julien inc. The new management team turned its attention to developing its areas of expertise and markets. In 1998, the company changed its name to Julien Inc. The following year, sales reached $36 million CAD
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
before jumping to $45 million CAD in 2000.
Current Markets
Julien's main customer base is in the United States and Canada. However, it has done contracts in North AfricaNorth Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.