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Be wary of customers that take advantage

Test fit piece for a very large, stainless steel chimney cap.

In a job shop as diverse as ours, our necessary skillset depends largely on our customers’ needs. Dipping your hands in several industries is great when you can establish and build relationships with all types of customers. It’s really cool to learn about what they do and what their outlook is for the work to come.

Earning a new customer’s business is always a challenge. You have to put in the legwork and let them know what type of person you are, as well as your shop’s capabilities. I’ve come to find out that a lot of the relationships I personally end up enjoying are the ones that involve discussions around the bed of a pickup truck. It seems people tend to let their guard down a little and act real, not like a money-pinching exec. That’s just my opinion, but I feel like many of you would agree.

Some customers come along and you see a forecast of laser work and weldments. You see work to fill voids, and you know that it is important to bring your A game. Making them happy is what you need to do. This vibe is easily caught by my co-workers, and they know how important it is to fill the shop up with work.

What if you have a new customer that needs a couple of boxes full of pre-cut parts folded on your press brake, and they need it as they wait? Would you jump on it or tell them to burn up the road? If the future looks to be raining work from that new customer, it’s important to get it done. We’ve run into this situation several times, but usually with returning customers, not new ones.

Most small shops don’t have a huge assortment of tooling for press brakes, so when a customer comes in with a critical bend radius, it may be hard to make the part correctly. We have segmented tooling of several radii, but we didn’t have the one this particular customer wanted. We offered what we had, and they said run with it.

Many of you know that a lot goes into making a correct flat pattern, especially when the part has multiple bends. It really bothers me when people tell me the part is correct on the computer so everything should be fine if we use their dimensions and correct tooling. What matters most is the part you have in your hand after it is folded up and complete. When customers come back is where the money is made.

We have completed multiple parts on several occasions for this customer while they waited. These weren’t the easiest parts, and they required an experienced press brake operator and more than several tool changes. Multistep programs were made and saved for future use. We thought we were doing this customer a favor by shutting down production and knocking these out, only to find out they were rejecting parts and claiming we didn’t know what we were doing.

You give us control of the flat patterns, and we will give you a good part. Metal stretches and moves based on several factors, and if you don’t take those into consideration, good luck on making a good part.

After jumping through hoops several times making small quantities of parts for this customer, we found out they were sending the bulk of their work to another source. They were using us only to get them out of a bind whenever they were waiting on large orders to be completed. Needless to say, we aren’t bending over backwards to complete their parts anymore. We will help them if needed, but it is going to be on our time.

Growing up in eastern North Carolina, you learn how to treat people with respect in all situations. You can’t keep calling the same buddy to pull you out of the mud and never invite him to the party. Same goes for small job shops like ours. Taking advantage of our willingness to help in times of need but sending bigger jobs to others doesn’t foster a good relationship.

Customer called for perforated metal in this opening, so we improvised and used the laser to create this piece instead.

Having a well-rounded shop builds character and allows your employees to see quite a bit of the different types of metalwork out there. But sometimes you have to put your foot down and know that new work is not always king. Let relationships build at a comfortable pace. When a new customer is giving you that funny feeling, take a step back and stick with what you know.

All images courtesy of Barnes MetalCrafters.

About the Author
Barnes MetalCrafters

Nick Martin

2121 Industrial Park Drive SE

Wilson, NC, 27893

252-291-0925