More Than Five Decades Serving Industry
The story of The RS Josef Group Inc. began in 1969, when founder Joe Stangl established Unitec Welding Products after beginning his career in the welding industry two years earlier with a specialty welding electrode manufacturer. Long before online ordering existed, Joe travelled throughout Canada helping fabricators, contractors, mines, steel producers, automotive manufacturers, and industrial plants select the right welding products for demanding applications.
In 1993, Joe’s son Richard Stangl joined the family business. Together, they expanded the company’s capabilities beyond welding consumables into industrial gases, specialty gases, propane, welding equipment, and e-commerce, while remaining committed to serving the welding and industrial markets with knowledgeable, dependable service.
Today, The RS Josef Group is privately owned and operated by Joe and Richard Stangl and includes three specialized divisions: WeldersHelper.com, Josef Gas, and RS Bulk Propane.
Now, a third generation is helping shape the future of the business, with Joe’s grandsons contributing to the continued growth and development of WeldersHelper.com, ensuring the family’s passion for the welding industry continues into the next generation.
Over the decades, The RS Josef Group has supplied welding products to companies and projects throughout Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean.
Historic customers and projects have included organizations such as CA Pitts, Syncrude, Suncor, Inco, Falconbridge, Stelco, Dofasco, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler in Canada, Bonney Forge in Allentown Pennsylvaina, and major mining operations including Texas Gulf Mine (now Kidd Creek Mine), Red Lake Mine, Alpart Bauxite Mine (Jamaica), and Guymine Bauxite Mine (Guyana).
For more than 55 years, our products have supported heavy industry, mining, steel production, automotive manufacturing, infrastructure construction, and thousands of fabrication shops across North America.
Today, that same experience lives on through WeldersHelper.com—the e-commerce division of The RS Josef Group—providing welders, manufacturers, fabricators, and industrial businesses with thousands of welding products backed by generations of real-world industry knowledge.
Three Generations in the Welding Industry
1967
Joe Stangl begins his career in the welding industry with UTP, an Austrian manufacturer of specialty welding electrodes in Toronto. It marks the beginning of what has become nearly six decades dedicated to serving welders, fabricators, manufacturers, and heavy industry.
1969
Believing customers deserved knowledgeable service and quality products, Joe starts his own business, opening a small office on Eddystone Avenue in Toronto. His new company specializes in supplying specialty welding electrodes to mines, steel mills, contractors, manufacturers, and infrastructure projects throughout Canada.
1978
As the business continues to grow, Joe relocates operations to a larger facility on Torbarrie Road in Toronto.
1980–1984
The family business expands across Canada with locations in Halifax, Edmonton, and Calgary, allowing customers from coast to coast to receive local service and technical support.
1993
A new generation joins the business as Richard Stangl begins working alongside his father.
Together, Joe and Richard expand the company beyond welding consumables into industrial gases, propane, and complete welding solutions, helping transform the business into a full-service industrial supplier.
1996
The family begins filling propane in-house, investing in its own production capabilities and taking greater control over quality and customer service.
1997
Operations move to a new 3.4-acre facility in Concord, Ontario, creating room for future expansion.
1999–2000
The family expands into bulk propane while investing in an automated industrial gas filling facility capable of producing argon, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.
These investments reflect a long-term commitment to serving Canadian industry with dependable products and reliable supply.
2011
After building a successful industrial gas business over nearly two decades, the welding gas division is acquired by Air Liquide, one of the world’s largest industrial gas companies.
The family continues to grow its propane business under the RS Bulk Propane name while planning its next chapter in the welding industry.
2014
Never far from the welding industry, Joe and Richard found Josef Gas, returning to their roots as an independent supplier of welding gases, specialty gases, welding equipment, propane, and welding supplies.
2016
The family invests in a modern propane filling facility featuring one of the largest single propane storage tanks in the Greater Toronto Area.
2017
Josef Gas installs a state-of-the-art automated industrial gas filling plant, further expanding production capacity and strengthening supply reliability for customers.
2020
Recognizing that many customers now prefer to research and purchase products online, the family launches WeldersHelper.com.
Rather than simply adding online ordering to an existing distributor, WeldersHelper.com is built as a dedicated e-commerce business, giving customers access to competitive online pricing while drawing on decades of industry experience.
2024
Josef Gas commissions its Specialty Gas Laboratory and Specialty Gas Production Facility, expanding The RS Josef Group’s technical capabilities into high-purity and specialty gas manufacturing.
Today
Today, The RS Josef Group Inc. remains privately owned by Joe and Richard Stangl and proudly operates three specialized businesses:
- WeldersHelper.com – The RS Josef Group’s dedicated e-commerce welding supply division.
- Josef Gas – A full-service supplier of industrial gases, specialty gases, propane, welding equipment, and welding supplies.
- RS Bulk Propane – A leading supplier of commercial and industrial propane solutions throughout Ontario.
Now, a third generation of the Stangl family is helping grow WeldersHelper.com, continuing a family tradition that began nearly 60 years ago.
From Joe’s first days selling specialty welding electrodes in 1967 to today’s combination of industrial distribution, gas production, propane supply, and e-commerce, one thing has never changed: a commitment to helping welders and industry succeed with knowledgeable service, quality products, and long-term relationships.
