Steel fabrication is the process of bending, cutting, welding, machining, and assembling steel components into complex structures. Steel fabricators create essential infrastructure like buildings, bridges, and towers using raw steel materials. Hiring experienced steel fabricating companies provides many benefits over trying to fabricate in-house or using non-specialized contractors. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the top 10 reasons you should rely on professional steel fabricators for your next construction project or custom steel product needs.
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1. Superior Technical Expertise and Equipment
Steel fabrication requires an immense expertise in metallurgy, structural engineering principles, precision welding methods, industrial machining, and finishing processes. Qualified steel fabricators have heavily invested in state-of-the-art fabrication technology like CNC machines, laser/plasma cutters, brake presses, tube benders and more. Their teams consist of skilled technicians and certified welders with proven track records fabricating complex steel components. Attempting dangerous fabrication procedures without this level of technical competency and equipment can compromise quality and safety.
2. Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness
Professional steel shops have all the layout, cutting, machining, welding and finishing stations set up for smooth high-volume production. They use optimized workflows, standardized processes and stringent quality control procedures to deliver exceptionally fast turnaround on projects. Their efficient setups and economies of scale translate into vastly lower operating costs for your fabricated products. Sourcing all the complex fabrication machinery and maintaining expertise in-house is simply not practical or affordable. Outsourcing to established steel fabricators is far more cost-effective.
3. Code and Regulation Compliance
Reputable steel fabricators maintain extensive knowledge on the latest design codes, industrial regulations, structural benchmarks and safety standards. They fabricate in full compliance with pertinent requirements of organizations like the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), American Welding Society (AWS), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Trying to interpret and implementing these stringent codes during in-house fabrication can be very daunting and risky.
4. Proactive Design Optimization
The best steel fabricators go beyond simply executing on provided designs. They have the acumen to assess initial concept designs and propose modifications to improve manufacturability, functionality, durability, lifespan and budget viability. Fabricators contribute feedback on ideal material gauges, joints types, connection methods etc. early in the design process to avoid issues during fabrication. This proactive design optimization ends up saving time and costs while delivering better quality finished steel products.
5. Range of Value-Added Services
You want to look for steel fabricators that offer a complete suite of value-added services beyond fundamental fabrication. This includes pre-production support like design conceptualization, 3D modeling, structural analysis, budgeting and parts sourcing. The fabrication process may involve value-adds like precision cutting, bending, machining, punching, shearing, threading etc. Post production services like finishing, painting, branding, onsite installation and maintenance are also very beneficial. The best steel fabricators have robust end-to-end capabilities.
6. Proven Reliability and Consistency
Steel fabrication is an exacting process that necessitates sheer precision, strict tolerances, systematic workflows and consistent results. Reputable fabricators demonstrate this reliability and consistency in project after project to build trust in their competencies. They incorporate stringent quality benchmarks, reliable inspection procedures, failsafe mechanisms and crisis contingency plans. Their robust philosophical commitment to consistency gives clients complete peace of mind during fabrication. Attempting in-house fabrication lacks this proven reliability that clients demand.
7. Rapid Scalability and Production Agility
Steel fabrication involves substantial demand fluctuations based on new projects and urgent needs. Top fabricators have very scalable operations that can rapidly ramp production up or down as per changing requirements. They display tremendous agility in adapting manufacturing workflows, resources allocation and inventory management to address spikes or deaccelerations in demand. Established supply chain networks also enable flexibility in materials procurement. Internal fabrication units lack this nimble scalability to align supply with fluctuating steel fabrication demands.
8. Single-Source Accountability and Warranties
Choosing an external specialist steel fabricator consolidates accountability for the entire project to a single entity. This avoids messy blame games common in multi-vendor environments involving separate design, fabrication, finishing and installation contractors. Specialist fabricators also provide comprehensive project warranties encompassing materials quality, fabrication precision, structural soundness, timely delivery and after-sales support. One cannot ensure these uniform warranties using a fragmented vendor approach or in-house fabrication.
9. Reduced Health and Safety Liabilities
Steel fabrication involves using dangerous heavy machinery, power tools, welding gear and toxic chemicals. Specialist fabricators make substantial investments in safety controls, protective equipment, materials handling, and employee training to mitigate process risks. Their plants comply with the stringent safety norms laid out by OSHA and other occupational authorities. Clients can transfer a lot of the grave health and liabilities risks linked to fabrication activities by partnering with these compliant fabricators. Performing fabrication in-house necessitates assuming the entire gamut of safety liabilities.
10. Strong Industry and Application Expertise
Over the years, reputed steel fabricators garner extensive real-world expertise across various steel-using sectors like construction, infrastructure, mining, oil and gas, marine, aviation and defense. They also cultivate deep application proficiencies in fabricating structures like buildings, stadiums, bridges, storage tanks, pressure vessels, cranes, platforms etc. Clients can leverage this wealthy domain experience for optimal fabrication outcomes tailored to their specific industry or application context. No in-house team can match this versatile expertise.
Conclusion
Steel fabricators are clearly the best equipped partners for translating conceptual designs into finished high-quality steel structures and components. Outsourcing fabrication to these specialists provides manifold technical, operational and financial benefits compared to in-house fabrication. As we have discussed in this guide, you should consider appointing steel fabricators on upcoming projects to leverage their competencies and value-added capabilities. They have the advanced technology, qualified manpower, compliance knowledge, scalability and application expertise vital for flawless, cost-effective and reliable fabrication outcomes. The overall risk, effort and investment required stays substantially lower compared to setting up internal fabrication infrastructure. We hope this blog has clarified why every major construction firm or manufacturing plant should cultivate close working relationships with expert local steel fabricators!
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