With the new metal fabrication project comes several challenges, planning,
crucial decisions and efficiencies to strive for. Considering many factors, you
might struggle to stretch the budget for your next sheet metal fabrication project. It is
expensive, between the cost of tooling, labor and sheet metal. There is also a
lot of pressure to keep the return on investment high and the costs down.
The solution to decreasing the metal fabrication costs while
retaining a high-quality product could be the metal fabricator you choose.
There are ways your sheet metal fabricator can lower your costs, contribute to sales
growth, enhance profit margin and maximize your cash flow. When choosing the
metal fabrication partner, consider these four factorized.
1. Engineering Services:
You can choose a sheet metal fabrication partner
who offers in-house design services. Make sure the engineers have specialized
skills and experience specific to the fabrication process you select. They can
help you maximize your design through material choices and in-line processing
recommendations which you may not be fully aware of. This added perspective
could help reduce your material, production and shipping costs.
2. Fabrication Techniques:
Saving money with a metal fabrication partner also depends on the process you opt for. If you are stuck with the same fabrication technique, it is better to discuss the alternatives with a fabricator. For instance, press braking is commonly used for low volume metal fabrication because press brakes can produce parts efficiently at a low cost. Otherwise, the different technique would have cost thousands of dollars of worth of tooling to complete.
If you’re new to press braking or looking for
ways to save money on your design without compromising quality, contact a sheet
metal fabrication company in China.
3. Tooling Cost Amortization:
Although your strategy for balancing tooling
cost may be to rent tooling, consider a metal fabrication partner who offers
cost amortization. It allows you to disperse your costs over months or quarters
and can extend production runs. In addition, this tooling can be utilized for
future projects.
4. Mill-direct Savings:
Some metal fabrication partners will buy mill-direct supplies to
negotiate material costs on your behalf. These fabricators can negotiate better
prices, and also better products. You can benefit without having to do the
heavy lifting because of their relationship and experience with these mills. If
the metal fabricator buys mill-direct, it also means they have the means to
buy, ship, store, and process the steel.
The Bottom Line
The most essential element to keep costs down and ROI high is to align with a strategic metal fabrication partner who can help you make the most of your decision.