Huge L Steel Inc.
Located in the heart of potash mining, farming and oil & gas drilling, Huge L Steel is one of western Canada's fastest-growing companies.
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History
Huge L Steel Inc. opened its doors in June 2006. We started in a small shop, only 10,000 sq ft on 1 acre of land, located at 1572 Elliot Street in Regina, Saskatchewan. The shop had adequate work space for our introductory product lines and one small paint room.
Our primary products, initially, were small, non-code tanks for bulk dealers and the natural gas industry. Within several months, we had expanded our product line and by the end of 2006, we were manufacturing Transport Canada and ULC listed tanks.
By the end of our first six months of operation, we had received both our CWB (Canadian Welding Bureau) and ISO:9001 quality certifications (Dec 15/06).
(Right: Huge L Steel's Elliott Street facility in Regina)
In 2007, after just a year in operation, Huge L Steel was a proud finalist in the "New Business Venture" category of the Regina Chamber of Commerce Paragon Awards.
Soon after in 2007, we experienced a high demand for large environmental double wall petroleum tanks, so we expanded our manufacturing operations into a portion of the former Canron (Dominion Bridge) facility on Francis Street in Regina, SK.
This move allowed us the ability to complete larger-sized custom fabrication orders, as well as additional space for our growing stock lines.
(Left: our former Canron location)
After two years of operation in Regina, Huge L Steel Inc purchased the former Raider Industries facility in Drinkwater, Saskatchewan. We relocated all operations to this site in December, 2008.
We subsequently retooled the facility to include the proper electrics and lifting equipment required for the successful operation of our expanding business. This large facility, consisting of 80,000 sq ft of manufacturing, office and storage space on nine acres of land, proved pivotal for the continued growth of Huge L Steel, allowing us to expand our product line into large oil field storage and grain bin hoppers, and consists of both a small tank and large tank assembly area.
(Right: Huge L Steel's current Drinkwater manufacturing facility)
Despite recent marketplace challenges, we continue to operate as a company that grows its business in a methodical manner that is sustainable and beneficial to all our stakeholders.
On April 1, 2018 we divested our manufacturing operations and property. We now outsource our manufacturing designs and products to local partners. We continue to engineer and design custom tank installations in-house. Our main specialties continue to be vertical bulk fuel farms and above ground ULC single and double wall petroleum installations. Our sales office is now located in downtown Toronto Ontario to better meet the needs of our Eastern Canada customers. Our presence in Saskatchewan and Western Canada remains.
At Huge L Steel Inc, we are proud of our accomplishments and we strive to remain focussed on what got us here: knowing that solid people, producing solid products, will provide solid customer satisfaction.
Accomplishments
Huge L Steel has achieved great things in its short history. On the production side, our technical and infrastructure growth has enabled us to take our tank manufacturing capability from 300, 500 and 1000 gallons up to a significant 48,000 gallons.
On the products side, we not only make outstanding agricultural petroleum tanks, we now produce Transport Canada listed mobile tanks and large environmental double wall petroleum storage tanks. We have also expanded our product line to include grain bin hoppers and oil field tankage. We have never stopped looking at new products and new ways of improving our current lines.
(Right: Potash Mine Tank)
As for the markets we cater to, no longer is southern Saskatchewan our only area of concentration. We also have pushed product as far West as Vancouver and as far East as Ontario. We have sent product to the Caribbean and are now seeing our oilfield products entering the USA.
(Left: Tank for the Caribean)
As for operations, we continue to enhance our procedures and processes with respect to safety and Quality. We continue to regularily receive "Saskatchewan WCB (Workers Compensation Board) Certificate of Achievement" awards for our safety record.
Huge L Steel has taken its products and service to a whole new level.
Our NEXT LEVEL ® initiative has been one of our greatest accomplishments. It truly has allowed us to take our company to the next level. Because of this, you will find that our leadership team is greatly improved: our people are more responsive and knowledgeable. Our products, from welding to paint and everything in between are incredibly improved.
And finally, we are proud of our commitment to our community in terms of financial support. All of this has been possible because of the soundness of our company.
We are proud of what we've accomplished over these past few years and are committed to getting even better.
Leader Post Article
Appeared Oct 23/06 as part of Small Business Week
Entrepreneur has drive, goals
If starting your own business is your dream, you need to follow Murray Hugel's lead.
If starting your own business is your dream, you need to follow Murray Hugel's lead.
Hugel's drive to be a small business owner has made him a success in just four short months in operation.
"The idea of doing something on my own has been something that has been in my mind for a long time," Hugel said of his 20-year-old goal of becoming a business owner. "I use the old adage, 'If you control your own destiny, somebody else can't control it for you.'
"I wanted to be able to chart my own course without any boundaries and limits," he continued.
"And a lot of times when you're working for somebody else, there's always limits. With this enterprise I've got, there's no limits and I'm working from that point and that's a lot more exciting."
Hugel started Huge L Steel roughly four months ago. He went from nothing -- no building, no equipment, no employees -- to shipping his first product in just 21 days and he hasn't looked back.
"That's what really impressed a lot of people," he said. "So we really had our (stuff) together and we knew what we were doing. I'd like to see somebody else do it that quickly. I'm very proud of that."
Huge L Steel manufactures gasoline and diesel fuel storage tanks for agricultural and commercial use.
The tanks are also used by oilfield companies to store methanol, which is used to separate water from gas. Already the company has expanded its line and size of tanks and is branching out into custom fabricated steel products like ladders and catwalks.
Hugel, who was trained as an industrial systems engineer, has been ready to be a businessman for some time, but he wasn't sure what product he would build his business around until recently when he recognized a need in the oil and gas industry for the product.
"While I didn't really know what product I was going to work with, I definitely knew I was going into business in 2006," he said.
"I didn't really know how I was going to do it, but that was driving me, 'I'm just going to do it.' "
Hugel researched business practices and strategies on the Internet so he would be ready when he found the right product.
"The Internet is just an amazing tool for that because I would even just click in 'entrepreneur' and I would read stories about how other people took the plunge and stuff," he said.
And that research paid off. After 20 years working in the local manufacturing industry, he easily convinced his bank to finance his dream company.
"Murray is very driven. We believed in him the second he walked through the door," said Catherine Vanderzwan, an account manager for small business for a Regina branch of Scotiabank.
"Murray's one of the rare people who came in with a business plan prepared," she said. "Most times people are coming and they don't understand why you won't just write them a cheque. I don't think they really understand it. It's not just for us. It's actually more for them because a lot of times when you actually sit down and do the business plan, they'll come back and say 'Wow, I don't know what I was even thinking. I can't make a living off of that.' "
She believes anybody can be a small-business owner -- especially right now when the market is hot -- but says people need to be able to recognize their strengths and weaknesses and backfill with expertise when needed.
"It's not like he's a florist deciding to be a manufacturer. It was in keeping with what he's done, what his experience is," said Vanderzwan of Hugel's successful start. "I think someone might have a harder time if they were trying to develop those experiences at the same time.
"That's not to be said that a florist couldn't start a manufacturing business, but then they'd better put people in place that would help them with that, knowing where their strengths are and where they're going to need help,'' she said.
Vanderzwan had some other tips for would-be entrepreneurs. "Be diligent about your education and also get the right people in your corner," she said.
"Establish a relationship with a banker. Establish a relationship with an accountant. Have people who know how to help you with certain, specific areas of expertise where you may lack expertise to help round out the strength of your business."
About Us
Our dynamic company operates with a simple, sound and modern philosophy: we know that solid people, producing solid products will provide solid customer satisfaction.
Our staff and manufacturing partners are the anchor of our business and although we're a relatively new company, our associates and partners share decades of combined tank manufacturing and steel fabrication experience. Our partners only hire skilled trades people who are energized, empowered and ready to fulfill the highest expectations of our customers. Our business operates using the principles of Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement concepts. Our partners create products using modern equipment; this brings timeliness and efficiency to our daily production efforts. We have faith in the competency of our partners, and as a result, we can offer our customers direct access to knowledgeable, professional support staff. Also, our partners are CSA W47.1 certified and are audited by the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB). And, our partners have their ISO9001 certification.
Huge L Steel incorporates manufacturing partners that are conveniently located near Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, close to numerous steel suppliers and warehouses and a large-scale steel mill. Our partner's proximity to raw materials is instrumental in our ability to deliver competitively priced, top-quality finished products.
Huge L Steel Inc offers quick availability to high-demand products for liquid storage such as, petroleum products, water, chemicals, methanol and ethanol and for custom steel products, structural steel fabrication, such as stairs, ladders, catwalks, skids, chutes, chimneys, flares, silos, asphalt tanks, shale boxes, mud boxes, premix tanks, and sump tanks. Huge L Steel Inc. also provides internal and external coatings for enhanced product protection.
We are proud of our quick turnaround times on orders, and we strive to have our diverse line of products finished and delivered when our customers need them. We're a dynamic company and we're always keen on setting a new standard in tank manufacturing and steel fabrication and general welding; it's a solid way to go.
In late 2010, Huge L Steel embarked on an extensive initiative that has taken it to the next level in terms of operational excellence. Appropriately, we named it NEXT LEVEL®. By mid 2012, we had received overwhelmingly positive customer feedback on our efforts, and we expect this to continue as we implement further improvements based on our NEXT LEVEL® initiatives. This major undertaking consists of building on the philosphy that has always guided our company; that solid people building solid products will result in solid customer satisfaction.