Choosing the right fabricator for your project is one of the most important decisions a company can make. Making the right choice is imperative in assuring quality and cost efficiency. If you’re in the market for a fabricator, you may be wondering what’s the best way to find the right manufacturer for your project. Here are 6 factors to consider when choosing a fabrication facility.
EXPERIENCE
Experience is probably the number one factor in choosing a fabricator. With years of experience comes knowledge and knowledge is hard to replace. It is important to find out how long the company has been in business and what type of projects they have done in the past. An experienced fabricator should be able to provide you with numerous references from satisfied customers.
Here at Fab Masters we have over 34 years of experience in the aluminum fabrication industry. We offer a variety of pre-production and metal fabrication services in-house. And, we have a highly qualified staff with years of experience in every department.
PRODUCTION CAPABILITIES
Finding a fabricator that is versatile in their capabilities is very important. Can the facility fabricate small parts, large parts, or cosmetic grade parts? Does the fabricator have cutting, welding, machining and assembly capabilities? Does the fabricator do one-off or large-run manufacturing? These are all questions that need to be answered when qualifying a metal fabricator for your project.
FACILITY CAPABILITIES
One area that can get overlooked when choosing a fabricator, is if the facility is able to cope with the size or scope of your project. Does the facility have the adequate capabilities in receiving your materials? Does the facility have the packing and shipping capabilities for on-time delivery? Does the facility have enough storage area if products are not going to be shipped quickly? Make sure the facility can handle appropriate lead times for your product schedule.
DESIGN CAPABILITIES
When choosing a fabricator, one must consider all the design capabilities that they provide. Can the fabricator work with drawings or blueprints whether hard-copy or electronic? Can the facility design a product or project from the ground up if necessary? Does the fabricator have an experienced CAD engineer or 3D prototyping capabilities? All these considerations can aid in your project and can possibly reduce production costs.
QUALITY
Find out whether the fabricator holds the proper certifications needed to manufacture your project. Does the facility do routine inspections and quality control monitoring throughout the production process? Will the fabricator be able to meet your quality control standards? Do they do in coming and final inspections before the product is shipped? Do they have the proper equipment needed to inspect you parts? Do they have qualified personnel to adequately inspect your parts?
PRICING
We left pricing for last because this seems to be the hottest topic. Let’s face it, we all want to get the best deal possible when making a substantial purchase. However, it is very important to realize that cost is by no means a deal breaker when choosing a fabricator. The price for your project must be weighed against other tangible factors. Such as, is the fabricator’s quoting close to industry standard pricing? Will you have quality issues using a cheaper fabricator? Will going with a cheaper fabricator cause reworks and overdue deliveries? Will the fabricator use their experience and knowledge to come up with the most cost effective way to produce your product? If there are production challenges will the fabricator work with your set budget?
CONCLUSION
As you can see, there are numerous factors that must be considered when choosing the right fabricator. A fabricator must be experienced and able to handle all the production needs for a client’s product. Fab Masters is committed to providing our customers with quality services, on-time delivery, and competitive pricing. To achieve this goal, we will promote continuous improvements in our work environment and within ourselves.