An Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of any size always faces a central decision when producing any type of product. This decision is to make the choice to manufacture or fabricate the product in-house or to outsource some or all of the fabrication to specialised companies.
Whilst at first glance it may appear as if manufacturing and fabrication in-house would be the most cost-effective and logistically easy option, this is very rarely the case. In specialised types of fabrication, including for steel and metal work, turning to an experienced sheet metal company will provide several benefits and cost savings.
Equipment and Technology
An established, reputable sheet metal company will always ensure the machines, systems, and technology used in their company is current and offers the best in productivity and performance.
CNC and manual equipment will be maintained to the highest standards, allowing for precision work. They will also upgrade to the latest in technology, all of which can be extremely costly for an OEM to do as part of a total fabrication and manufacturing operation.
Experienced operators, engineers, and supervisors also ensure all fabrication is completed in the most cost-effective way. With different options in machines and processes, cost savings can be built into a project, reducing the final price well below what could be possible for the OEM.
Production Capability
By outsourcing sheet metal fabrication work, the OEM can focus on areas of manufacturing and fabrication that are ideally suited to their own facility. As the equipment and the handling of this material requires significant physical space, fitting a sheet metal shop into an existing facility can be a challenge.
Using a sheet metal company also means reliable delivery on schedule. With reputable companies, equipment failures or incorrect booking of projects will not be a concern, which means the OEM can depend on the parts and components to arrive on time and on budget.
