Industrial Contractor’s Guide to Finding a Structural Steel Fabricator

Choosing a structural steel fabrication partner is an important part of taking your design through to completion, but finding the right structural steel fabrication partner can be challenging. While no fabrication project is exactly the same as another, you need a partner who you can trust to take your project through from design to construction.

What You Should Look for in a Fabrication Partner

Quality fabrication shops are plentiful. However, not every custom metal fabrication shop can take your project from beginning to end. Effective communication will lead to a partnership of success with the company you choose.  At Swanton Welding, our estimators and sales team work hand and hand with our shop to ensure that the needs of our clients are being met every step of the way. For the highest project success, look for a fabrication partner capable of full-service fabrication who can handle the entirety of your project from start to finish. Common attributes include:

• Welding certifications
• Extensive experience 
• Equipment and capabilities 

How Your Project Moves Through the Structural Steel Fabricator

In a full-service fabrication shop, your project will begin with a team of knowledgeable fabrication experts who can analyze and review any drawings provided. A turn-key shop with the right experience can work with the information given, note any potential issues, and provide their recommendations. 

The design will then be reviewed to ensure that it is as efficient and streamlined as possible. After this review, your project will be quoted accurately and move into the production phase. You’ll have a dedicated project manager working with the fabrication team from start to the finish. The right team will be accessible throughout the build, drawing on their knowledge of the project and potential solutions to any problems that may crop up. Because our team works seamlessly both within the shop and with you as the client, the risk of errors is minimized. Your project will be tested throughout the production phase to ensure that the final product is error-free and high-quality.

The Benefits of a Full-Service Fabrication Partner

The benefits of a full-service fabrication partner who can see your project through from beginning to end are multiple. A fabricator with the right capabilities means easier project management, lower costs, and a faster timeline. They will be able to provide a clear and accurate estimate of the time and budget needed for the project, identify the materials needed, determine the proper equipment, and identify opportunities to optimize. A skilled project manager who is present on-site at the fabrication shop will ask the right questions from the start and will be available on-site through each step. They will be there to ensure that the project is completed with the end user in mind.

If your fabrication partner is not able to see your project all the way through, you will not only incur higher costs and a longer timeline, but the potential for error is much higher as your project is handed over from place to place and the potential for communication breakdowns increase.

A high-quality structural steel fabrication partner will stand out. They will demonstrate efficiency with the ability to analyze fabrication drawings, get them to the shop or beam line efficiently, and complete the project with finishing options all under one roof. 

Swanton Welding has spent over six decades fine tuning our turn-key process. We know the right questions to ask and have the capabilities to help you move your ideas from concept to final product. We’ve built our processes, the equipment we use, and our team of skilled professionals around the needs of our customers. Let our experience guide you and your fabrication project from concept to completion. Contact us to talk about your next project today.