How can a fabrication shop solve a client’s problem efficiently and cost effectively? How much industry expertise does your fabrication shop have within the MEP industry? “Our deadline is short, so can your fab shop deliver within an accelerated timeline and budget?”
The above common questions are asked by those who need fabrication but have little experience in the field. Whether you’re just getting started or looking for ideas to improve your fabrication shop, here are 7 keys for becoming a high performer:
1. Fabrication Shop Knowledge
Fabrication professionals require continual learning. Advanced fab shop technology, new safety best practices, and apprenticeships are helping fabrication shops upgrade their knowledge-base and stay up to date in the industries they serve. The business opportunities are growing, so the willingness to learn new skills and bring passion to workers on commercial projects and products across the firm is crucial.
An exceptional fab shop doing commercial HVAC ductwork installation does more than the basics. They will have standard operating procedures for testing, maintenance and project walkthroughs to ensure they deliver exactly what the customer requests. The high performing Fabrication Shop is continually gaining knowledge to help tailor their services to exceed customer needs.
2. Fabrication Shop Technology
Another important consideration is how well a fabrication shop has invested in technology to help drive & deliver performance. This is relatively a new concept of putting tablets in the hands of shop workers. Your potential customers are also on the lookout for a shop with clean facilities that adhere to high hygienic standards, which is reflective of your brand. Similarly, a fabrication company that owns its equipment portrays an image of efficiency and preparedness to handle that difficult project a customer needs.
3. Company Integrity
Commercial contractors have experienced some level of a negative stereotype in terms of overcharging with minimal effort. Perceptions can be changed with action and transparency within your working relationships. The good Fabrication Shop completes the job, within timeframes and budget as well as up to code. However, the high performing fabrication shop takes pride in their work and performance on every job. They commit a high-level effort, time and resources to ensure the customer is 100% surprised and delighted. In general, this philosophy is what separates the best-class service companies from the followers in the world. They continually surprise customers with better quality, efficiency and value for the cost.
4. Emphasize Partnership
Fabrication Shops take ideas, creates plans and lets customers know when the project is complete. This is pretty much standard and what most good shops do. The order taker. You want to move beyond this mentality.
A high performing shop stresses a partnership – and focuses attention on small details to ultimately improve the project and output. You want to discuss goals and ideas before the project start. A great shop will attempt to have input on the project timeline and may identify other opportunities it can prefabricate to help the client. Emphasizing partnerships brings long-term business, builds trust, and better quality products. Partnerships are cyclical, so this should be a foundational element of your fabrication shop.
5. High Quality From Start to Finish
High Quality starts with being knowledge in the industry standards and best practices and bringing this philosophy to every facet – mission, employees, technology, tools, processes, etc., of your business. A good fabrication shop meets the industry standards (if they didn’t they would be out of business). A high performing fabrication shop exceed these standards, improves on them to establish new standards for excellence – working on quality projects and builds with an exceptional fab team.
6. Value
Value ranks highly as a differentiating factor to compliment quality projects, and also representative of a high performing fab shop. The more value (high quality, reasonable rate, schedule) you bring to your partnerships, the greater your fabrication shop will become. Committing to and providing the highest degree of service can really separate your company from the competition. Service is a recurring theme in these recommended factors for becoming a high performing fab shop.
7. Adapting and Flexibility
Every project is slightly different, so establishing a fabrication shop that is both flexible and adaptable is the hallmark for a high performing business. Your ability to offer tailored solutions and services for a customer’s unique requirements, yet, guarantee high quality are what will make you standout.
To become a high performing shop, you and your team will need to make the above factors – deep knowledge, new technology, high integrity, partnership, superior quality and value, and adaptable, part the foundation of your business.
