Senior Editor
- FMA
- The Fabricator
- FABTECH
- Canadian Metalworking
Categories
- Additive Manufacturing
- Aluminum Welding
- Arc Welding
- Assembly and Joining
- Automation and Robotics
- Bending and Forming
- Consumables
- Cutting and Weld Prep
- Electric Vehicles
- En Español
- Finishing
- Hydroforming
- Laser Cutting
- Laser Welding
- Machining
- Manufacturing Software
- Materials Handling
- Metals/Materials
- Oxyfuel Cutting
- Plasma Cutting
- Power Tools
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Roll Forming
- Safety
- Sawing
- Shearing
- Shop Management
- Testing and Measuring
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Tube and Pipe Production
- Waterjet Cutting
Industry Directory
Webcasts
Podcasts
FAB 40
Advertise
Subscribe
Account Login
Search
Fabricating just enough, just in time
- By Tim Heston
- April 15, 2010
That’s a real-life example of the glass-half-empty adage: Bankers are eager to lend you money, unless you need it.
Just from anecdotal evidence, I can see something in this economy is brewing. In this month’s FABRICATOR, for instance, we cover Impulse Manufacturing, a large north Georgia contract manufacturer that has doubled--that’s right, doubled--its customer base during the past six months.
Other shops aren’t so fortunate, but the lights are still on and machines are still running. Many pine for the days of long backlogs and big contracts. But today it seems small volumes and quick turnarounds have become the new normal of contract metal fabrication. Yes, we had an inventory rebuild, but, as consultant Dick Kallage of KDC & Associates put it at the Metal Matters conference earlier this year, “The inventory rebuild has been spotty at best.”
Why? Some attribute it to lean manufacturing. No one wants inventory, so no one is going to give a contract shop a huge order. It’s now about giving them just enough, just in time. So how does a contract fabricator compete today? Short backlogs, short-run jobs, competitive pricing, and fast turnarounds don’t add up to an easy business.
Just from my observations, it seems the best contract fab shops out there find a way to manage through automation. OK, I’ll admit that’s a hackneyed phrase. But by automation I don’t mean investing in a big material handling tower and multiple lasers, though they may help in the right places. I mean automating, or at least streamlining, everything outside those big pieces of equipment: the quoting, order tracking, and job flow. For instance, a software guru at Impulse Manufacturing developed a Web-based job tracking and measurement system that streamlined front-end processes and caused manufacturing time to plummet.
Software helped the company solve the complex puzzle of contract metal fabrication. How do you quickly turn around small orders while at the same time maximize material utilization and bid competitively enough to get work in the door? Automated scheduling, nesting that maximizes use of material (including remnants), and other tools now are helping the contract shop brave the ultra-competitive manufacturing landscape.
From one perspective, it’s nice to see so many small jobs out there. Many small contracts make a more stable whole, financially. It takes more sales effort on the front-end, certainly, but if a few small contracts cancel, they won’t put the company under. It’s true that big contracts can help a company grow quickly and hire more people. But when those orders are canceled, the pink slips come--and I know we’ve all had enough of those.
subscribe now
The Fabricator is North America's leading magazine for the metal forming and fabricating industry. The magazine delivers the news, technical articles, and case histories that enable fabricators to do their jobs more efficiently. The Fabricator has served the industry since 1970.
start your free subscriptionAbout the Author
Tim Heston
2135 Point Blvd
Elgin, IL 60123
815-381-1314
Tim Heston, The Fabricator's senior editor, has covered the metal fabrication industry since 1998, starting his career at the American Welding Society's Welding Journal. Since then he has covered the full range of metal fabrication processes, from stamping, bending, and cutting to grinding and polishing. He joined The Fabricator's staff in October 2007.
- Stay connected from anywhere
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Fabricator.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Welder.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Tube and Pipe Journal.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Fabricator en Español.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 03/05/2024
- Running Time:
- 65:35
After Ludlow Manufacturing Inc. (LMI) received The Fabricator's 2024 Industry Award, Todd Ludlow, founder and president of the...
- Trending Articles
Volatility in steel prices likely to continue
Tube laser positions fabricator for future growth
Fighting the fear of new technology in the manufacturing shop
Precision Cut Industries appoints president
Norton RazorStar abrasive discs designed to improve grinding performance
- Industry Events
NASCC: The Steel Conference
- March 20 - 22, 2024
- San Antonio,
The Fabricator's Manufacturers & Suppliers Event (MSE)
- March 26, 2024
- Schaumburg, IL
Coil Processing Workshop & Tours
- April 2 - 3, 2024
- Corpus Christi, TX
GOLF4MFG South
- April 15, 2024
- Charlotte, NC
16th Annual Safety Conference
- April 30 - May 1, 2024
- Elgin,