How neighboring metal fabrication shops can be assets to each other

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When you hear the word “neighbor,” do you think of that crazy movie with Zac Efron and Seth Rogan, “Neighbors,” the one where they terrorize the living daylights out of each other, leaving you wondering if anything could get worse? Maybe you do. Or maybe you think of someone who helps you out around your house, lends you a wrench, shows up with beer to share, or gets the mail when you are out of town. In business it could be someone to help you get a job done, lend a tool or machine, or extend a favor because you are good for it.

There are plenty of open spaces for new buildings near our facility. We’ve been here for nearly a year and a half and really like the area. Our building was constructed properly, and we are proud of it. Because of this, we get a handful of people that swing by the shop and introduce themselves as future customers of our builder. We typically show them around and answer any questions they may have about the process. It is nice to show it off and get to know some new people.

We recently had a couple guys walk in the front door and say, “Hi, neighbor!” They were as friendly as could be and told us they were going to be moving in up the road from us. Their company is opening a second facility and chose Wilson, N.C., as the location. These guys are originally based out of the Midwest and couldn’t hide it if they tried. Their accents were eminently strong and stuck out like a sore thumb in slack-jaw yokel eastern North Carolina.

My dad, Tim Martin, made the introductions and began the $5 tour around the shop. They introduced themselves as a metal fabrication company and they could tell our ears perked up. We smiled nervously. But it was made clear, quite quickly, that we were not going to be competitors. They have more of a product line with large contracts while we are a smaller job shop.

One of them asked me what I do at the shop. “Do you program the laser?” I honestly didn’t know how to answer that for a second. Sometimes? Well, most of the time? I don’t even know what to tell people when they ask me what I do. I guess that is a good thing since I’m always bouncing around on my toes. I just told him “Um, yeah, I do some of that.” We hit it off pretty well and explained that all of us at Barnes MetalCrafters do a little bit of everything: a “jack-of-all-trades” shop. They have been in and around the metal fabrication community much longer than I have, but we are all on the same page.

As we showed them around, they asked a lot of questions about the area and who to call to do certain things. That is what you do when you are new to the area, but it makes it easier when you find someone that is in the same business as you. Supplies, material, electrical, consumables, you name it. I could tell they were in their element and making the most out of the connections we were making. As the tour continued, our shop was starting to shut down for the workday. The question-and-answer session turned into an exchange of stories about running a fabrication business and the people who make it work.

My dad would tell a story and one of the guys would look at the other one, smile, then say, “That sounds just like you!” We all were getting a kick out of it. Maybe I’m still a little too green to the metal industry, but I like how the stories are so relatable, even with folks who are from three or four states away. The shared experiences of things like customer and employee problems and other common fab shop randomness are what will keep this exciting.

I am actually looking forward to having some new neighbors. They have equipment that is very similar to ours so if we get in a pinch, we can back up each other. In the long run, we will treat each other as more of assets than competitors. Like any neighbor should be, we will be there for them and always willing to lend a hand or favor. And just like in the movie “Neighbors”, I’ll be there with my mohawk wig on, but I’ll be kind enough to not play any airbag in the office chair pranks.

Custom 5 ft. x 10 ft. hot oil table we made for a customer. The inside of the table resembles a rat maze where the oil will disperse evenly when pumped throughout. Image provided by Barnes MetalCrafters