Is Contract Manufacturing Right for You?
One of the most important decisions you’ll face with your manufacturing project is whether to handle the fabrication in-house or outsource it. For many businesses, contract fabrication offers unmatched benefits that make it the optimal choice. In this post, we’ll explore the top five reasons why contract fabrication might be the best choice for your operation.
Cost Efficiency
Contract fabrication is much more cost-effective than in-house fabrication. You don’t have to invest in an expensive factory, labor force, upgrade equipment, etc. Additionally, you can benefit from economies of scale. A contract fabricator will work with multiple clients, which allows them to purchase raw materials and other resources at lower prices. A great partner also optimizes their production processes to handle diverse projects efficiently. This may include spreading fixed costs across a larger production volume, which reduces the per-unit cost for each client.
Overall, you’ll experience cost savings with contract fabrication. Then, you can allocate your resources to more strategic areas like R&D, marketing, or customer service.
Access to Specialized Expertise
Working with a contract manufacturer also allows you access to specialized labor that you may not get with an in-house team. Many manufacturers have been in business for decades, and they’ve seen it all. This allows them to quickly create a number of components or overcome any issues that may arise during the manufacturing process.
Increased Flexibility and Scalability
Contract manufacturers offer increased scalability opportunities because they have the capacity to manage fluctuating demands. Contract manufacturers typically have the resources to handle high-volume production and can scale up or down as needed. If your production increases unexpectedly, you can quickly ramp up production to meet that need. Or, if demand decreases, you can scale back production without incurring losses.
Faster Time to Market
One of the primary reasons companies look to contract manufacturing is its speed to market. Contract manufacturers already have streamlined production processes in place. Once the product design is finalized, they can begin production almost immediately. This saves you time on setting up production lines or training staff. Ultimately, these established processes can dramatically reduce the time between design completion and product launch.
Focus on Core Competencies
When a business handles its own manufacturing, it must dedicate substantial time and resources to managing production lines, maintaining equipment, and overseeing the workforce. But, if you partner with a contract manufacturer, you transfer those responsibilities to them. When you’re not focused on the manufacturing aspect of your business, you have more time to work on your core competencies.
Work with S&R Sheet Metal for Your Contract Fabrication Needs
If you’re looking for quality contract fabrication services, turn to the S&R Sheet Metal team. Since 1974, we’ve been delivering high-quality fabrication solutions from our facility in Kelso, Washington. Our services cover architectural, industrial, and contract fabrication, along with metal laser cutting. We even provide installation services across the Pacific Northwest.
As a team of skilled trade workers, we believe our mission has two parts. The first is to provide outstanding sheet metal fabrication services to our customers in a wide variety of industries. The second is to treat our people well. We’ve been part of the community for 50 years and are committed to providing economic opportunity, safe working conditions, and consideration for every human involved in our business activities.
When you work with us, you can expect over 50 years of local industry experience, expertise from highly skilled trade workers, short turnaround times, excellent support, and superior quality products.
Let’s Get Started
Ready to learn more about what we can do for you? Reach out to our team to get started.