Operating a Processing and Manufacturing Facility

Finding the best team of aluminium fabricators

18 September 2019 by Todd West

Aluminium has become an increasingly popular material for a huge range of products from cars to furniture. Aluminium is light and recyclable, but that doesn't mean that every fabrication company will be able to work with it effectively. If you are thinking about choosing aluminium for a new product, then you must be sure that you have found a team of aluminium fabricators who will be able to cut, bend, and drill the aluminium in whatever ways you need.

Do they possess suitable equipment?

Aluminium fabricators vary enormously. Some of them will concentrate on small scale prototyping jobs. Others will be able to handle big production runs involving large sheets of aluminium. To ensure that you have found the right team of aluminium fabricators, find out what type of jobs they normally take on. If you have any doubts about their suitability, why not ask to tour the workshop and see the equipment for yourself? Seeing the company equipment at work should demonstrate clearly whether or not they are capable of producing the type of product you need.

Do they have the right staff?

The contract to complete your job may be with the company, but in order to complete the work, they will rely on their workers. Aluminium fabricators are skilled workers, and to complete the job to a high standard requires both skill and experience. Before committing to a company, find out whether their pool of skilled workers is sufficiently deep to cover issues such as holidays, staff sickness, or an employee leaving the company. You don't want to be stuck in the position of accepting a late delivery because the company is struggling to produce the work because of staff shortages.

Can they meet your deadlines?

Any team of aluminium fabricators should be able to provide you with a completion date for your order. Before committing to the company, find out how much spare capacity they have on their machines. While too much spare capacity could be a sign of problems, it is equally true that a company that becomes too busy could struggle to complete your order if they suffer a machine failure, or your order could fall through if a bigger customer presents them with an urgent order they feel obliged to complete. Get your agreed completion date for each project stage in writing and ensure that there are fixed penalties for not meeting an agreed date.

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