Sheet metal parts range from cheaply made, mass-produced off-the-shelf components to extreme-precision, complex, highly customized critical components. If your parts are somewhere in the middle, you may be wavering on whether engaging with a custom fabricator makes sense. In this post, we reveal why customers like you choose custom sheet metal fabrication.
Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication Provides a Tailored Fit
The most obvious reason to use a custom fabricator is the customization. If you use an off-the-shelf part that you must modify to fit in your assembly or it isn’t exactly what you need, custom sheet metal fabrication provides an alternative. Don’t settle for mediocre. Custom sheet metal fabrication allows for parts designed to fit your project’s precise requirements. Instead of adjusting your needs to accommodate a pre-made part, you can ensure the components are engineered specifically for your product meeting the highest quality standards, improving compatibility and performance. Custom sheet metal components reduce the risk of assembly issues or downstream part failures because they were designed for the application. Customization results in improved quality and increased efficiency in your assembly operations.
Optimize Total Costs of Ownership With Custom Fabrication
Custom fabrication may sound like it comes with a hefty price, but while it may cost more per piece, the total cost of ownership must be considered. For many applications, the balance between cost and quality is critical. By working with a custom fabricator, you can achieve a solution that meets the required quality standards without the unnecessary risks that drive up total costs in standard parts. This balance makes custom sheet metal parts a practical choice for many applications.
Component customization can result in easier assembly processes and better fit or integration, leading to reduced labor costs and fewer defects down the line. This savings further reduces your total cost.
Experienced custom fabricators often employ design for manufacturability (DFM) reviews before manufacturing. This leads to significant savings in assembly time and material costs, which are frequently overlooked when choosing standard parts. In addition, custom fabricators often have secondary or additional services that can reduce costs by keeping services under one roof. Fabricators that can hold inventory and ship when needed can reduce your holding and physical inventory costs.
Create Intellectual Property and a Gain Competitive Advantage
It’s hard to differentiate yourself in the market when your product looks like everyone else’s. By improving your component design and preventing competitors from copying it, your product will stand out, giving you a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
In addition, if your components require design adjustments to remain competitive, you have greater flexibility. Whether you are incorporating feedback from the field, adapting to new regulatory needs, or optimizing product performance, a custom sheet metal fabricator can more easily accommodate these changes compared to using fixed, off-the-shelf components.
Protect Supply of Goods
If you are still getting sheet metal parts from overseas, the recent East Coast port closures may bring up residual feelings from the pandemic supply chain disruptions. With both sides of the strike far apart in negotiations, ships carrying parts may not be docking anytime soon.
If you have critical parts that you can’t afford to be without or are at risk of having your production lines shut down, domestic custom sheet metal fabrication may be a solution. While it isn’t always possible to plan for disruptions, a supply risk mitigation strategy that prioritizes risks based on the impact of component delays or disruptions can ensure supply isn’t disrupted.
Even if you have a domestic source for custom sheet metal parts, you can’t discount supply chain disruptions. The devastation of Hurricane Helene took communities by surprise. Disasters can strike unexpectedly anywhere, affecting a single manufacturing facility or a whole region. If your custom sheet metal fabricator is impacted, you could be at risk. Having a secondary supplier is a smart risk mitigation strategy for critical components.
Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication With KAL Manufacturing
Accurate, consistent, and delivered quickly, custom sheet metal components from KAL Manufacturing are fabricated on state-of-the-art equipment by industry experts. Quality is built into all our systems and is trusted by our customers. In fact, many have eliminated their own inspections, saving money and creating more efficient incoming materials processes. As a full-service provider, we offer welding, hardware insertion assembly, electromechanical assembly (turnkey box builds, subassembly builds, parts kitting, and testing), precision machining, surface finishing, and warehousing and supply chain management. Ready to start your custom metal fabrication journey? Give us a call.