Ulbrich was founded in 1924 by Frederick Christian Ulbrich Sr. as The Fred Ulbrich Company, in
Wallingford, Connecticut. Ulbrich was originally a
scrap yard, but gradually expanded and pivoted to stainless steel in 1936 after a merger between two corporations that prevented Ulbrich Sr. from selling to one of his top buyers. 1937 saw the creation of Victory Cutlery Company, a now defunct subsidiary of Ulbrich that produced cutlery. During
World War II, Ulbrich supplied stainless steel mess kits to the United States Army after receiving multiple government contracts. The cutlery division was sold off in the 1950s, and Ulbrich shifted to
rolling and
slitting strip metal. The company invested in rolling mills to meet demand, and sales increased. In 1963, Ulbrich began producing
nickel alloys and various types of special metals for
aerospace manufacturers. In an attempt to become a certified supplier for
Pratt & Whitney, the company invested a year of profits into a testing laboratory, which ultimately led to more success in the aerospace industry and was a mechanism for their contract for a supplier of the
United States Air Force's
B-70 Valkyrie and later the
Rockwell B-1 Lancer. Ulbrich's second location, Ulbrich of Illinois, was opened in 1968 in
Alsip, Illinois as a stainless steel strip plant. The company continued to work with the federal government to supply certain metal components of
NASA's
Apollo 11 spacecraft. Shortly after the successful landing, Ulbrich
incorporated and adopted the current name, Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc. During this time, company ownership changed from Frederick Ulbrich Sr. to his three sons. Five years later, the founder died. The remainder of the 20th century saw many attempts at substantial growth, both nationally and internationally. From 19821986, two new locations were founded in
Connecticut, one in
Georgia, and one in
Fresno, California. The acquisition of Diversified Stainless of Canada granted Ulbrich two facilities in Canada, and in 1998, a new service center was opened in Queretéro, Mexico. From the 2000s onward, Ulbrich continued expanding internationally, and saw increased sales and revenue. On January 31, 2022, Ulbrich acquired an additional facility in California from
Allegheny Technologies, which was subsequently named Ulbrich of California. == Products ==