While small components may make up only a fraction of most fabrication workloads, structural steel processing and detailing often require the most labor to ensure accuracy and quality. This is especially true for complex steel supports that must integrate seamlessly with other elements like stairs, hoppers, chutes, silos, stacks, and various types of tank support systems.
To save time and reduce costs, many manufacturers, fabricators, builders, utilities, and suppliers choose to outsource their structural steel processing to a custom metal fabricator with in-house automation and detailed expertise.
This article explores some of the key advantages of outsourcing structural steel fabrication, including how a reliable partner can help you save time, money, and effort on even the most challenging projects.
1: Outsourcing Structural Steel Processing Can Reduce Lead Times
Many of your clients require near-perfect accuracy to meet their specific fabrication needs, which makes structural steel processing both time-consuming and labor-intensive.
By partnering with Southern Metal Fabricators, you can offload this workload to an experienced team equipped with advanced automation and custom fabrication techniques. Our in-house capabilities allow us to speed up processes such as:
- CNC drilling and sawing for beams, channels, base plates, stairs, platforms, and ladders
- Railing production using CNC plasma cutting for handrail segments and full systems
- Custom sheet metal and plate fabrication, including laser cutting for precision cuts
- Punching, shearing, and angle/flat line production automation
Additionally, our engineers can review and complete your structural steel drawings according to your customers’ specifications, allowing your team to focus on project execution instead of design work.
2: 3D Modeling Services Improve Quality and Efficiency
Structural steel fabrication often requires interpreting 2D and 3D drawings. At Southern Metal Fabricators, our detailers are skilled in CAD, 3D modeling, and CAM software to determine the most efficient way to process your structures.
This 3D modeling capability ensures all team members are aligned and helps avoid costly mistakes or miscommunications. We create a virtual model of your final product before actual fabrication begins, ensuring accuracy and quality from the start.
It’s also essential that your detailer understands industry compliance standards—like OSHA, AISC, and bearing limits—especially if the fabricated parts will be used in construction projects.
3: Automation Speeds Up Production and Increases Precision
Before outsourcing, it’s important to ensure your partner has the right automation tools to maintain high-quality output, even for large-scale or specialized projects.
Southern Metal Fabricators offers a full range of automated solutions, including:
- The Peddinghaus Anglemaster AFPS-643/Q for angle and flat line production
- The Peddinghaus XDM-630 for fast CNC drilling and materials processing
- The TRUMPF 3030 FiberMetal for precise laser cutting and sheet/plate production
- The Bend-Tech Dragon A400 for automated pipe and tube cutting in railing systems
Our facility includes a 100,000-square-foot high bay, overhead cranes, and a large lay-down yard, making us well-equipped for both mass production and custom detailing.
4: Outsourcing Reduces Capital Expenditure and Infrastructure Costs
Outsourcing your structural steel processing to a custom metal fabricator can significantly lower the capital costs associated with expanding your business.
Automation allows you to take on more projects without the need for expensive equipment or infrastructure. For example, our Bend-Tech Dragon A400 system streamlines railing production, saving you time and money on tasks like:
- Handrails, segments, and complete systems
- Platforms and stairs requiring railings
- Cutting for carbon, stainless, galvanized, and aluminum steel
These automation solutions not only improve efficiency but also enhance the precision and quality of your structural steel work.
5: Improved Quality Control Through Expertise
Quality control is crucial in structural steel processing, especially when managing the entire fabrication process from design to installation.
Southern Metal Fabricators provides a comprehensive quality assurance program, including:
- Safety checks from design to installation
- Process documentation for cost and efficiency tracking
- OSHA compliance for access ladders and staircases
- Proactive communication with all stakeholders
- Inspections and welding procedure reviews
We continuously update our quality control procedures to meet industry standards and improve performance. This commitment to quality is what sets us apart and ensures every project meets the highest expectations.
Visit our structural steel fabrication page to learn more about the benefits of outsourcing your next project. Or contact us today—we’re ready to say, “Yes, we can do that!â€
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