When looking for a potential steel forging company to partner with for your custom forging project, it’s important to ask questions. A forging company has to be able to make your part on time, within budget, and create a professional environment for communication and collaboration. Here are the top five questions to ask a steel forging company before you partner with them on your next custom forging project.

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What raw metal material does your forging company keep an inventory of?

Often, steel forging companies will order raw metal as needed for projects and not keep them on hand. This can be cost effective for the forging company but can slow the timeline of your project down significantly if raw materials need to be ordered. Certain industries can require time-sensitive timelines for forging projects and cannot afford delays due to out of stock alloys. Ensure that the forging company you partner with has a healthy stock of alloys and raw materials on a regular basis.

What steps of the forging process are outsourced?

There are several steps during the forging process, and many times, it makes sense for certain parts of a project to be outsourced to another company. Outsourcing steps like machining, shipping, and packaging might be more cost effective, or the forging company has a strong partnership with another company to help get a project done quickly and within scope. When partnering with a steel forging company, be sure that they have a good reason for outsourcing any step of the forging process and why it makes more sense to do so rather than keep it in-house.

What is the process for shipping?

The shipping process often gets overlooked by forging companies because the project is finished and their part is over. However, shipping, packaging, and on-time delivery are essential, especially if it’s a project with a strict timeline. Great steel forging companies know that a project is not truly done until the parts in the hands of their client. Make sure you know if the shipping process is kept in-house or outsourced and a detailed timeline of the process.

How are my custom forged parts tested?

A large part of the forging process is testing pieces to ensure that they meet and exceed the standards of the client and can withstand harsh conditions. It’s important that a steel forging company can explain their process for testing and give examples including Ultrasonic, Mag Particle and FPI. Quality assurance shouldn’t be an afterthought of the steel forging company that you partner with and should always be at the forefront of the forging process.

How is my investment being protected during the forging process?

One of the most important questions to ask a potential forging partner is how they protect your project as a whole while it’s in their hands. Because the project should be treated as a partnership, a good forging company would have a strict process in place with specific guidelines that not only protect the integrity of your project but maximize every dollar you invest. This includes (100 years of forging experience, vast array of markets and knowledge for critical applications, and full control and management of the entire forging process.

6 Important Questions to Ask Your Structural Steel Fabricator

Steel fabrication has come a long way in recent years, but the effectiveness and impact of new techniques are limited without the right fabricator. Structural steel fabricators can cut, drill, form and weld this versatile metal to match your specific needs, transforming it into components that will then be used to complete your project.  The following questions will help you find a reliable structural steel fabricator.

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1. What is their level of experience?

There is much more to experience than just the number of years a particular company has been in operation. In particular, it is important to determine whether or not the company has taken on other projects like yours. Be specific and try to find out about similar past projects by the fabricator. A structural steel fabricator which has completed the same type of projects that resemble the work you require is ideal.

2. What are their most commonly utilized internal processes?

You expect the best as a customer, and in order to receive it you will need to find a company with reliably implemented internal processes. Inquiring about the processes your structural steel fabricator has most often implemented is important. Every structural steel fabricator should, for example, adhere to the AWS D1.1 code, which illustrates the types of materials and processes which should be used in structural steel fabrication procedures. Adherence to these standards is a must to lead to a well made product.

3. Do they finish products in-house or outsource them?

Commonly used techniques like blasting and painting keep changing for the better. As such, finding a fabrication company which utilizes the latest technology to perform such processes can be a major benefit. In-house fabrication and finishing also guarantees superior products than outsourcing. A structural steel fabrication company that can not only perform the welding and fabrication necessary but also finish your project in-house and give it its final look can be a great boon to any company in need.

4. Does the fabricator provide detailing?

Although technical, asking whether a fabricator implements steel detailing is important. The main work of the detailers to convert your idea into real steel pieces with precise measurements. For that to happen, established fabricating companies utilize detailers who use the latest software applications for detailing the blueprints into shop drawings.

5. What equipment do they utilize?

You need to be certain about the type of equipment a fabricator uses. In fact, it’s wise to at least partially choose fabricators based on the tools they have at their disposal. For example, fabricators with innovative equipment like beam lines are more likely to deliver complex projects on time, increasing productivity and enhancing quality all at a lower cost to the client. Fabricators who choose to continue on with outdated equipment to save a little money in the short term are putting themselves at a great disadvantage.

6. How do they hire their talent?

Request a brief report on the hiring policies that the structural steel fabricator uses. The guidelines of the policy will be informative as to how the company locates its welders and fabricators. If the policies are clear on only hiring and / or training welders that are certified by the AWS Certification Department that is a good indication that their work will be up to par.

These are just a few of the questions you can (and should) ask when selecting a structural steel fabrication company. Remember, just because a fabricator has the right materials that doesn’t mean they’re qualified to handle your project. They also need the right people, the right experience and the right outlook. Asking these questions can get you a great deal closer to determining who is right for your project.

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