Question for Our Experts:

What’s the best way to go about selecting a quality metal fabrication company for my custom metal fabrication project?

Our Experts’ Answer:

If you’re looking for a quality metal fabrication company for your next custom project, rest assured that today’s competitive market offers many options!  That said, there are a few key points to consider when selecting a quality metal fabricator.  Let’s explore them briefly here.

SHOP CAPABILITIES.  Finding out what a shop is capable of doing is important, as every shop is set up differently to handle the needs of its primary customer base.  Some shops specialize in fabricating products for a specific industry, such as structural, sheet metal, medical, aerospace, etc.  Staff members at Tuckey Metal Fabricators have spent decades structuring our shop to take on most any project, large or small, in order to meet the diversity of our customer base.  We truly are a “custom job shop”!  Many new customers are surprised at the breadth of what we can do and the variety of capabilities we offer.  To meet the various demands that custom projects present, we have assembled a diverse set of professional shop equipment, state-of-the-art precision cutting machinery, and up-to-date 3-D design, part management, and nesting software.

SHOP HOUSEKEEPING.  The image of a fabrication shop that a customer perceives from the moment they pull into the parking lot is important as well.  Seeing a clean, well-kept, organized shop can mean the difference between establishing a sustainable business relationship and losing a longtime customer.  Good housekeeping in a shop is crucial to shop efficiency, employee morale, customer service, and quality control.  Tuckey Metal Fabricators maintains a clean and organized shop via the use of its racking system and the meticulously-planned layout of our machinery and workstations.  Our goal is to establish an efficient flow of work through the shop – which, in turn, helps us meet customer deadlines, minimize errors, and maximize safety.

COMMUNICATION.  Having an open line of communication in the early stages of a project is key to ensure a customer gets exactly what they are paying for.  In today’s business environment, many project teams are assembled via phone calls, e-mails, texts, and shared electronic files, making prompt, clear communication from knowledgeable, experienced fabricators all the more important.  Our qualified staff includes team members with extensive engineering and shop/field experience who aim to keep the lines of communication open for ongoing dialogue throughout a project.

RESPONSIVENESS.  A quality product delivered on or ahead of schedule – it’s what every customer is looking for at the end of a custom metal fabrication project.  In this regard, expectations should be set prior to contract execution – during the sales and design process.  New customers, in particular, put a great deal of trust in their chosen metal fabrication partner to deliver quality products by the desired deadline.  But it doesn’t have to be a large leap of faith.  Like most nuances in business, this boils down to making sure that proper expectations are set and that the lines of communication remain open before, during, and after your project.  The team at Tuckey prides itself in responsive turnaround times, going the extra mile to be certain we hit our customer’s due date – and communicating promptly when potential roadblocks arise.

QUALITY CONTROL.  Quality is the essential element of successful business.  When looking for a new metal fabrication shop, the tricky part is that you won’t have a complete picture of the shop’s true quality standards until the project has come to a close.  That said, buyers should be able to evaluate the shop’s commitment to quality via a tour of the fabrication shop, references from other customers, and potential observation of work in progress. Most of the time, a reputable fab shop will speak for itself when someone familiar with the industry hears the company’s name.  Word of mouth goes a long way in this industry, which also carries over to online reviews.  This is why it is so important to make sure a customer is completely satisfied when they leave with their finished product.  Tuckey Metal Fabricators has implemented its own quality control procedures in order to ensure each and every product meets its customers’ required specifications.  Generally, final products go through a routine inspection before the customer is even notified that the project is finished.  If a conflict with the drawing is found, it is resolved before the product is shipped to avoid a customer rejection.

Tuckey Metal Fabricators strives to stand apart from the competition in more ways than one. From start to finish, the process takes a significant team effort from people with a multitude of skillsets.  Our team works together with our customers on a variety of custom fabricated designs, many of which do not even provide us with drawings/prints. We take our customer’s vision and turn it into a working/moving component while upholding and exceeding quality standards.  We understand how “on time production” works, as we aim to beat industry benchmark turnaround times and, ultimately, exceed expectations. Contact us today to get started!

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