One-Stop Shop

2021/12/25

The Benefits of Working with a One-Stop-Shop for Metal Manufacturing Service

In today’s market for metal manufacturing services, a single line of purchasing responsibility for fabrication needs – or a one-stop-shop – is ideal for a variety of reasons. But perhaps the biggest of these is that working with a one-stop-shop brings a centralization of processes that would otherwise require a collection of partners – and make for more time and added costs, while lessening the ability to optimize the overall fabrication approach. The latter becomes especially important when its complicated parts or components being fabricated.

Here are top reasons to consider a one-stop-shop for metal fabrication services, and what you stand to gain when working with one.

► Improved Cost-Efficiencies One-Stop-Shop for Metal Manufacturing

With rising material costs and heightened sensitivity to price increases, there is no room for waste in the metal fabrication supply chain. Working with a one-stop-shop provides cost-savings opportunities from a number of standpoints including dealing with a single supply source, lead time, leveraging purchased items, packing, quality, engineering assistance and transit.

A principal challenge with using multiple partners to produce a part or component is that the variability can inflate the cost of doing business. This risk of variability that comes with multiple suppliers can include:

• Multiple fabrication stops
• Longer lead-times
• A longer supply chain
• Higher shipping costs
• Inability to value engineer to reduce cost

In short, one-stop-shops develop a consistent and reliable source that delivers high quality, on-time parts and components services, whereas more layers of suppliers slow the precision metal manufacturing process and add costs.

► Value Added Engineering Design

The ability to leverage multiple services to arrive at precision parts at competitive prices is a strong value add that fewer shops can provide. If it’s a ‘just good enough’ need, where the part isn’t on display for the public eye, or performance requirements allow for some leniency, this may be less critical.

But where precision, higher quality, or aesthetics take the stage, one-stop-shops can offer solutions for additional fabrication, finishing, or assembly operations under one roof to provide the value at a competitive price. From prototype development through production run, the value added from one-stop-shops improves the manufacturability and consistency of a part through hands-on engineering. At our own shop, we constantly review project performance to leverage best practices to optimize project delivery from prototype development through production run.

What goes into optimizing the approach on the front end, is a great benefit to maximize quality, efficiency and cost along the way. This is the value of engineering design assistance –bringing a simple or complex project to life through alternative processes to meet project needs more efficiently and cost-effectively.

► Quality Control

Another main advantage of working with a one-stop-shop is the simplification of the quality control process from auditing to monitoring. Domestic suppliers especially – though they may be a little bit more expensive than foreign suppliers – allow for greater visibility and responsiveness to meet your needs. This can be especially critical in periods of high-demand or when part design needs to be adjusted. Local fabrication shops offer the opportunity to review material selection and monitor production status in person.

This capability affords the opportunity to help meet project objectives and address supply chain or other issues in real-time. As such, making regular visits to the supplier during the process is a healthy approach given the intense customization of the business. That’s not to mention that the sense of partnership is always stronger when you physically stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your partner, turning your concept into a profitable reality.

► Conclusion

As proud and knowledgeable metal Manufacture, Elantec is passionate about helping our customers find a better, faster, and higher overall value solution. A supplier that functions as one-stop-shop is not just a vendor, but a partner that can add value to you serving as a true extension of your team. To learn more about the benefits of working with a one-stop-shop for metal fabrication, contact Elantec Mfg today.