Running a business is expensive, and finding effective ways to keep costs down and ROI high can be a struggle. Your choice of a metal fabricator could be the solution to decreasing your metal fabrication costs while retaining a high-quality product.
If you need to stretch the budget on your next metal fabrication project, here are some ideas to consider:
1. Seek Advice from Your Metal Fabricator
A good metal fabricator is an expert in the field and may have ideas about how to create a design that serves your purposes but gets the job done affordably. Don’t be afraid to talk to experts about the best way to design your metal fabrication project.
Customers often bring projects to their metal fabrication partner and submit them without ever going over the design and proposal with an engineer. What clients often forget is that most fabricators have worked on similar projects and, therefore, have ideas for improvement—material recommendations, design modifications, etc. By leveraging the expertise of your fabricator, you can create a more efficient and cost-effective process that will save you money in the long run.
As you likely already know, the cost of your metal fabrication project is greatly dependent upon your choice of technique. If you have been adhering to the same kind of process for years, you may want to explore alternatives with your fabricator – they can help you optimize your design. This added perspective could help you build a quality product while also reducing your material, production and shipping costs.
2. Find a Single-Source Solution
If you’re looking to save money, you want your metal fabrication company to complete as many processes as possible themselves. If your metal fabricator does everything from design to assembly, there is no need for an extra expenditure of time and money to outsource these processes.
Be on the lookout for a company that uses state-of-the-art metal fabrication equipment. In some cases, metal fabrication using these modern machines may not be cheaper, but it pays off in the long run with products that are completed faster with fewer errors and look better.
3. Choose Appropriate Material
Material costs are often the costliest part of any project. It is, therefore, essential to refine and trim material usage in all steps of the process. Whether you are using steel, stainless steel, aluminum, or some other material, consult with your fabricator about possible ways to reduce costs.
How flexible are you with material type and thickness for your metal project? These are questions you should ask before going through with production. Different materials cut at different rates on a laser. Also, the thinner a material you use, the faster the laser will cut through it.
Always remember you are paying for the time the laser spends running. Choosing the right material type or finding the optimal material thickness for your part can reduce laser cutting costs considerably.
Some metal fabricators buy mill-direct, so they can negotiate better material prices on your behalf. Their relationship and experience with these mills allow you to benefit without having to do the heavy lifting. If they buy mill-direct, this also means they have the means to buy, ship, and store the material.
4. Partner with a Local Metal Fabricator
Proximity is the single biggest advantage you get from deciding to partner with a local metal fabricator. Visit and make sure the facilities and equipment are up to your satisfaction. Conduct and coordinate face to face meetings on a regular basis where you can ask questions and go into greater detail about plans and business goals.
One of the most prominent benefits of using a local metal fabricator is the money many save on shipping. It’s simple math. If your metal fabricator doesn’t have to ship or deliver your product far to reach you, you won’t have to pay as much for shipping. This is a great time saver as well.
Your Metal Fabrication Partner
If you are in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, your local metal fabricator is Naimor, Inc. We are a single-source metal fabrication solution that has been serving WA, OR, and the rest of West Coast for 10 years, and we look forward to putting our cutting-edge metal fabrication solutions to work for you.
