The Kiosk Factory’s trademark is its combination of originality, resourceful practicality and high quality craftsmanship; this has proven invaluable to clients wanting to create a contemporary and relevant impression, and to benefit from the implementation of new technologies. Our unique capabilities ensure feasibility, controlling costs and scheduling, and reducing the client’s project management burden to a minimum.

Our ability to provide complete, continent-wide service and support is augmented by our affiliation with POS specialists RDS Data Group, and several business solutions developers.

Production facilities
The Kiosk Factory’s 35,000 square foot showroom and production facilities and 2,500 square foot design and sales office are both located location in Toronto, Canada. The wealth of resources in Southern Ontario’s industrial heartland gives us access to a wide range of materials, components and services. Our production facilities are among the best anywhere on the continent and include fully equipped metal fabricating, millwork, plastics, welding, milling and machine shops with specialized equipment, including a 10’ shear capable of cutting 3/8” steel plate, section and plate rolling equipment, 5 axis precision milling, acid etching and water-jet cutting.

Interpretive design & content development
From concept to completion, the success of our projects depends on the problem solving skills of experienced designers, technicians and trades people. Our award-winning design capabilities include script and content development, environmental, architectural, industrial, graphic and exhibit design. Our software development team includes experts in kiosk interfaces, most common development environments and programming languages, networking, network management, support and transaction processing. This group was responsible for developing a continent-wide system that supported over 14,000 point of sale devices, including 1000 kiosks.

In the same way staff is carefully trained to provide a good impression, kiosks deployed for commercial purposes should reflect the brand identity and service level for which a company wishes to be known. As we like to say: “The kiosk is the company”. This basic principal applies in government, education and entertainment settings as well. To ensure that the user experience is smooth and simple, the Kiosk Factory styles and engineers each of our kiosks to meet the precise requirements that they are intended for—whether it is wayfinding, ticketing, public service information, security, communication, gaming or education.

The Kiosk Factory has fast become known for our award-winning, eye-catching and sophisticated design. In addition to designing our own products, we also do contract design and prototyping for a variety of clients. Our staff encompasses all aspects of kiosk design—from software development to script and content creation, and from environmental and architectural design to industrial, graphic, furniture and exhibit design. Our portfolio includes numerous examples of innovative and stylish approaches to aesthetic and technical challenges in a wide array of commercial, entertainment and educational/informational settings and functions.

Key personnel
Julian Bowron, President
Julian founded The Kiosk Factory’s parent company, Feature Factory, Inc. in 1984. Prior to this, he had apprenticed in sculpture, blacksmithing and photography at the Ne Chi Zu Guild in Vancouver and trained in Industrial Design at the Ontario College of Art. Julian has executed projects throughout Canada, the United States, Central America, and Hong Kong, and shipped work to Europe, Middle East and Japan. His own projects have ranged from original sculpture and painting to industrial design, prototyping and display fabrication. Julian is a regular lecturer at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Humber College, and Ryerson University schools of industrial and interior design.

Read a profile of The Kiosk Factory’s president, Julian Bowron: “Who’s Who: Julian Bowron”, by John Harrell, editor, in Kioskmarketplace.com, October 2002.

John Bowron, M. Arch, OAA. Architect
John is responsible for conceptual design and the creation of production drawings. A graduate of the University of Toronto School of Architecture, and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute’s Programme in Architectural Technology, John has also studied architecture and design in Venice, Italy, and in the United States. He has over 30 years' experience as architectural designer and detailer with prominent architectural practices in both Canada and Europe.

Paul Zorad, EET. Systems Integration and Production Management
As production manager for RDS, Paul was instrumental in the development of what was in 1998, the largest kiosk deployment in North America, for the Canadian VIACOM subsidiary Famous Players Theatres. At The Kiosk Factory, Paul brings his extensive experience to the initial client contact phase, and subsequent system design and production management.

Helen Iskander, Business Manager
With experience working for engineering and mining-related operations, Helen is responsible for financial and office management and bookkeeping.

Helen Casanova, AOCAD. Industrial Designer
A graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, Helen is an unparalleled problem solver responsible for day to day operations including design, component specification and purchasing, product documentation, shipping and warranty coordination.

Alberto Rebollar, M.Eng. Head, Kiosk Engineering
Formerly the head of maintenance for the national machine tool monopoly in Cuba, Alberto is an expert detailer, metalworker and patternmaker. Alberto has been responsible for tooling design for all large run kiosk projects since 1996, and personally supervises the wiring and assembly of all products leaving the plant.

Rocky Dobey, Head of Site Crews and Installation
Rocky has worked for over twenty years in high rise construction. His experience includes installing curtain walls on office towers in Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto and the installation of art and three-dimensional ultra custom signage in eight of ten Canadian provinces and multiple US states.

Chris Rellinger, DiD. Industrial Designer
A graduate of the Humber College School of Industrial design, Chris has been instrumental in revolutionizing our design department and overseeing the introduction of advanced 3-D visualization software. Chris has taken the lead designing and detailing some of the most challenging work the company has ever produced, including the RFID based devices recently created for a US library automation company, and building revitalization packages for major real estate investment firms.

Jonathan McGregor, B.Eng. Mechanical Systems Designer
Jonathan brings his experience in the design and implementation of manufacturing automation and machine vision systems to the Kiosk Factory design team. Jonathan was previously employed as an automation systems designer for tier one auto parts manufacturers, and is familiar with hydraulic, pneumatic and electric components and controls.

Stephan Pilipa, Artist, Lead Metalworker
Stephan is a talented artist and skilled metalworker responsible for kiosk prototyping, and is a lead hand on installation teams. Stephan’s skills include TIG welding, metal finishing, layout and machining.

Regulatory compliance and certification
The Canadian Standards organization (CSA) is an internationally recognized inspection agency which individually certifies our kiosk housings, lighting components and electrical distribution systems.

Project Financing
Through our parent company, Feature Factory, Inc, The Kiosk Factory has good standing relationships with various Canadian government agencies that support Canadian exporters and foreign buyers by way of performance bonds, payment bonds, lines of credit, etc. These agencies include The Canadian Export Development Corporation (EDC) and Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC). With their assistance, we can provide terms on out-of-country projects to the $15 million range.

Delivery and installation
Our location allows for easy transportation access anywhere across the North American continent. The Kiosk Factory, and its parent company, Feature Factory, have either installed or directed the installation of our products in all of the Canadian provinces, as well as parts on the US, including Florida, California, Utah, Illinois, Michigan, New York, and the New England states. Overseas, our work can be found in Europe, the Middle East and Japan.
We can ship kiosks and housings by common carrier or by dedicated vehicle. Our project managers are familiar with all aspects of installation co-ordination, including issues of facility access, building structure, stability, etc.