When you’re looking for a new sheet metal fabrication partner – or vetting your existing one – it’s important to consider more than just the number on a quote. You need to factor in their overall capabilities, communication, quality, and the team you’ll be working with. The best way to do this is by visiting your sheet metal fabrication facility.
On-site visits allow you to take a wholistic look at your potential partner to determine if they’re the right fabricator for your needs, which is why we invite all our customers to see our shop for themselves.
Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of visiting your sheet metal fabrication facilities.
Open Lines of Communication
Having an open dialogue ensures your metal fabricator understands the nuances of your products and works as a partner to you, rather than just churning out parts. Site visits allow you to develop a personal relationship with your fabricator; talk through your design; look for cost-saving, quality-improving enhancements; and create a rapport beyond digital communication.
See The Sheet Metal Fabrication Process
It’s one thing to hear how your sheet metal fabricator will develop your products, it’s another to see the process from start to finish. During your visit, you’ll see firsthand how their products are fabricated, including any additional value-added capabilities such as engineering, powder coating, assembly, and inventory management.
Determine Equipment Capabilities
In addition to seeing how products are made, visiting your sheet metal fabricator allows you to see what equipment they have. Knowing the machines they have, maximum sizes they can fabricate, and any machinery they don’t have enables you to make an informed decision on who to partner with.
Plus, you can see how well they maintain their equipment. If machinery looks worn down, it could be a sign that maintenance is looming, potentially delaying your lead times.
Review Sample Parts and Products
When you’re on a site visit, don’t forget to request seeing sample products. If they manufacture products like yours, try to time an in-person visit with when they’re fabricating that product. This lets you evaluate their quality of work on relevant parts and components.
Visit Your Sheet Metal Fabrication Facilities
From building rapport to vetting product quality, site visits are an important consideration for choosing a sheet metal fabrication partner.
If you’re near Highland, IL, contact us to schedule a visit to Highland Machine. We can take you through our facilities, plus you’ll get to meet members of our sales and engineering team. Can’t make it? Check out this virtual behind-the-scenes look at our space.