Manufacturers are constantly balancing rising costs with tighter budgets, making cost management more crucial than ever. This also means they frequently face the challenge of finding innovative and effective ways to optimize their project investments while maintaining high standards of quality and performance in their products.
As a premier construction and agriculture equipment manufacturing company, we’ve collaborated closely with our global OEM customers to manage their project costs. Here are five of our top recommendations for cost-conscious manufacturers seeking fresh ideas on getting the best results from their production budget.
Invest In The Highest Quality Drawings
The last thing any manufacturer wants to hear is “Go back to the drawing board,” especially during production. You can mitigate the risk of starting over by investing in high-quality drawings at the project’s outset.
Spending a little more to ensure your drawings are accurate, error-free, and in the correct format will help you avoid costly delays, revisions, and redos during the production phase.
Using professional designers and engineers to produce your drawings may incur a higher upfront cost, but the truth is they know best what’s expected by the fabricator to deliver the best results. They also utilize the latest CAD software to ensure that all information and data are complete and meet your expectations for the outcome.
You can further save time and money by utilizing your fabricator’s in-house design team, if they have one, as they can provide effective consultation directly with the fabrication engineers when needed.
Simplify Your Design To Reduce Fabrication Costs
Experienced manufacturers understand that one small decision can have a significant impact on costs. For example, reducing tolerances where possible, using stick or MIG welding instead of TIG or plasma arc welding, or using wet paint over dry powder coating during the finishing process can all help lower production costs.
Additionally, simplifying the design to reduce the number of cuts, bends, and welds will reduce production time and lower labour costs. This approach will also require less material, optimizing that cost as well.
Speak to your design team about these and other options to simplify the design and lower the overall cost of production.
Consult With Your Fabricator On Optimizing Material Selection
No manufacturer wants a reputation for using shoddy, substandard materials in their products. However, with rising material costs, it can be challenging to stay on budget while offering your customers the highest-quality products possible.
Fortunately, there are many options available that will optimize your investment without sacrificing favourable results. Your fabrication supplier should be well-versed in helping you choose materials wisely.
For example, they might recommend thinner materials or less expensive grades of metal or specialty alloys that will still fulfill your design’s mechanical requirements while delivering optimal performance. Another option is to try standard sheet sizes and gauges whenever possible, or use recycled or repurposed materials that often come at a lower price point.
Experienced fabricators will be able to present all the different paths you can take to balance your costs and materials without sacrificing quality. You might be surprised at how many combinations your metalworking supplier can come up with.
Read More: How To Select The Right Material For Your Metalworking Project
Work With Suppliers Who Embrace Advanced Technology And Employ People Who Know How To Use It
There is no question that technological advancements have transformed our industry. Most modern manufacturing production facilities have adopted innovations such as CNC machining, 3D design software, coordinate measuring machines, robotics, and automation to help streamline processes, boost scalability, and enhance product quality.
Metalworking technology also helps cut costs for manufacturers during production by minimizing waste and elevating productivity, and keeps them competitive by improving their time to market. Be sure to review the technology used by any production facility you’re considering to ensure the best value for your investment.
However, also keep in mind that the technology is useless without trained and skilled workers to operate it while carrying out other tasks that require human intervention. Consider only working with a manufacturer that appropriately allocates its tech and human resources to maximize your production efficiency and optimizes costs.
Simplify Your Manufacturing Supply Chain By Partnering With One-Stop Metalworking Suppliers
Juggling multiple contractors and aligning schedules is a common headache for manufacturers. It consumes a lot of time and energy that would be better spent innovating or building new relationships.
It’s much wiser to seek out partnerships with metalworking suppliers who offer a full range of services to cover every aspect of your project. And we mean right from the beginning to the very end of the process: design, machining, fabrication, finishing, and assembly. However, be sure that you’re working with a reputable company that can carry out each discipline with expertise and has a reputation for diligence, professionalism, and delivering high-quality products.
Because you’re dealing with one supplier, you’ll also save time from dealing with different contractors and trying to coordinate each different aspect of your project. Furthermore, they’ll be able to put together a cost-effective solution for you that’s more affordable and less cumbersome than working with more than one supplier.
This approach simplifies your supply chain, and, as they say, supply chains with the fewest links are the strongest. You won’t have to worry about costly delays if something were to threaten the efficient flow of goods. Every aspect of the metalworking process, including material sourcing, will be handled with dexterity under virtually any circumstances.
As the world’s only construction and agriculture equipment manufacturing company that can support every phase of your off-road parts and equipment projects from concept to final delivery, AC Fabrication & Assembly Solutions is the only end-to-end metalworking partner you’ll ever need. Give us a call when you’re ready to build!
Read More: How Positive Collaborations With Suppliers And Customers Strengthen The Supply Chain
Partner with AC Fabrication & Assembly Solutions, Construction and Agricultural Equipment Manufacturers, on Your Next Metalworking Project
Our integrated project development process ensures complete collaboration with our customers, helping us deliver high-quality products that maximize profitability and growth potential.
Contact an AC Fabrication and Assembly Solutions expert at 204-952-1900 or sales@acfabandassembly.com for a custom quote on your next project today!
