Company History
Over 85 years of excellence
The William I. Horlick Company was founded in 1936 by William Horlick. In the early years, the company was involved in the buying, selling and refurbishment of surplus military equipment to include motors, generators, transformers and switchgear. During the years following World War II, his two sons joined William Horlick and the company transitioned into a manufacturer of motor generator sets to be used primarily for power and frequency conversion. Serving both private industry and the military, throughout the second half of the twentieth century, the William I. Horlick Company built a reputation as a manufacturer of top-quality, dependable motor generator sets.
In 1990, the Horlick family sold the business. Over the next several years, in an effort to keep the business flourishing, the company diversified into a related industry: manufacturing custom electrical control panels. This was a simple transition for the William I. Horlick Company as it was moving into an area where the company already possessed an expertise. Over the span of ten years, the company was able to transform itself from solely a motor generator set manufacturer into a complete system integrator capable of supplying a range of equipment from a simple relay-based duplex pumping station to a complex Motor Control Center that is customized complete with a PLC-based process and SCADA interface. The company’s successful transition was realized because it was able to maintain the simple philosophy of fabricating well-designed dependable equipment.
In March 2022, Horlick was acquired by SJE Inc., headquartered in Detroit Lakes, MN. Horlick ownership recognized that, in order to grow the company and meet customer demand, they needed to find a business partner with additional specialized functional skills and financial resources to invest in the business. SJE is excited to be that partner and to work with Horlick.
Over the past 85+ years, the Horlick name has been synonymous with dependable and reliable equipment, combined with unmatched customer service. This combination is still prevalent today as the Horlick Company looks forward to a bright future manufacturing motor generator sets and custom electrical control enclosures.
