José María Quijano
(José María Quijano Fernández-Hontoria; Corrales de Buelna, Santander, 1843-1911) Spanish lawyer and businessman, founder of Forjas de Buelna.Coming from a family with a tradition in the legal profession, José María decided to study Civil and Canon Law at the University of Valladolid, from which he graduated in 1866.After obtaining his degree, he moved to Santander where he practiced as a lawyer and as a Secretary of the Provincial Council.However, he had to leave this job because the sudden death of his in-law Víctor Gómez de los Ríos gave him the opportunity to take over the law firm that had been opened by it.
José María Quijano
Due to his transfer to the law firm, he went to his place of origin, and there he contacted family and friends again.Among them was his uncle Benigno Arce, who was a mining engineer.During the Universal Exhibition held in Paris in 1873, attended by Benigno and José María, a nail-making machine caught their attention.Upon their return to Spain they began to devise the manufacture of the model seen in Paris taking advantage of the facilities of a family mill.The beginnings of Forjas de Buelna were in the making.
Due to José María's lack of business experience, the beginnings of the company were not easy.After a first moment of instability, the financing of Benigno Arce, the Count of Mansilla, the Pombo family and Pedro Ruiz de Tagle (in addition to the recruitment of different professionals used to business, such as Domingo Salas, owner of a blacksmith shop, who was appointed master and manager), the company was able to meet the first needs for installation and procurement of raw materials.The factory began to operate on October 14, 1874, initially dedicated exclusively to supplying the hardware stores of Santander.
This type of market so scarce was the general tone of the business strategy adopted by Quijano during all these years due to the fact that intermediaries made the product very expensive.True to his idea of maintaining an economy of scale, this did not prevent him from exporting his product to Liège, Liverpool and London.The acquisition of new machinery allowed the Spanish businessman to increase production and the market, combining forging with wire drawing.In 1880, it incorporated electricity to its factories.
That was the first stage of the market diversification of Quijano's business, which continued its expansion with the installation of a rolling mill in 1883 and seven more years Later he installed two furnaces to heat and anneal the wire.The smooth running of Quijano's business was overshadowed by competition from the Altos Hornos de Bilbao and La Vizcaya, which began to manufacture wire.As a countermeasure, with the 20th century just beginning, Quijano decided to install his own Siemens ovens and built three new warehouses for the manufacture, now, on a large scale of tips and tacks.After the death of the founder, his heirs turned the company into a José María Quijano or Forjas de Buelna Limited Company.
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