Metal fabricators, we’re all in this together

Fabricators need to work together to promote not only themselves, but the industry. That's why shops like Ludlow Manufacturing, Waukegan, Ill., routinely welcome others to see how the shop operates. Lila Aryan Photography

When Ludlow Manufacturing Inc. (LMI) was still in his first 12,500-sq.-ft. shop in 2007, Todd Ludlow, the company founder and current CEO, got a call from a representative of a large metal fabricating company, one with locations in multiple states. He wanted to visit Ludlow’s Waukegan, Ill.-based shop to see a 3-kW fiber laser cutting machine, a technology that was still pretty new at the time for many metal fabricators.

Being a friendly and accommodating guy, Ludlow welcomed him to visit. He might have been involved in metal fabricating, but Ludlow said he wasn’t worried about any possible pilfering of customers because the two companies weren’t near each other and, given the size differential between the two organizations, they likely had customers with different needs and expectations.

The visit occurred, and everyone went back to making metal parts. Until one day, Ludlow figured he would reach out to his new industry contact and see if he could go see a press brake in operation in one of the larger company’s facilities. Ludlow said he made the phone call and tried to arrange a visit to the company to which he offered a helping hand, but he received some bad news in return: “I’m afraid we can’t do that. You’re a competitor.”

Ludlow was perplexed by the response. How could such a large metal fabricating company see him as a threat? At the time, LMI simply wasn’t at the size where it could take on the scale of work being done by this large company.

“Really? I’m the guy you fear,” he recalled thinking.

Times have changed since that exchange. LMI is now a growing company that has taken advantage of its newly introduced process-focused culture to improve quality and on-time delivery. (You can read more about LMI and its 2024 Industry Award here.) The North American manufacturing economy is strong and promises to grow as infrastructure investment picks up and reshoring efforts continue. The rising tide promises to raise the fortunes of many metal fabricating companies in the near future.

But that can only happen if everyone is willing to help. Just keep in mind that the best people to help fabricators are other fabricators. Your banker, the LinkedIn business consultant, and your Uncle Jerry—who had some financial success with some storage units—all don’t know what it’s like managing the chaos that is metal fabricating.

That’s what makes the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association’s Annual Meeting such a great event. (The 2024 meeting is taking place Feb. 27-29 in Clearwater Beach, Fla.) Metal fabricators can have conversations with shops that have similar challenges and get the straight dope from those that are tasked with trying to tame the chaos. Shop reps might even meet the right mix of fabricators and be able to join one of the association’s user groups, a collection of metal fabricating companies that gather regularly to benchmark their operations and share best practices.

“I do think our industry has in some ways gotten better. We’re more willing to share things today than when we first started,” Ludlow said.

Even with the resurgence of manufacturing in North America, success is not guaranteed for any shop. The craziness associated with recent supply chain disruptions and wild shifts in steel pricing is subsiding, and more OEMs are finding religion when it comes to supply chain partners holding the line on costs. International competitors are still out there, taking advantage of cheap steel out of China to fabricate parts and assemblies that are less expensive than something that can be made here.

That’s why it’s important to open that door to the metal fabricator interested in new fabricating technology. That metal fabricator needs to know that they are making the right investment because, frankly, a lot of these small and mid-sized shops don’t have the financial resources to make a wrong bet when it comes to a capital equipment investment. These aren’t cheap machines. But with the right machine tool, a shop can be in a much better financial situation for the near term.

Certainly, a shop doesn’t want to give away its competitive edge. The problem with that thinking is that the competitive edge is rarely what the company owner thinks it is. Unless it’s a proprietary machine, that machine tool that is pumping out parts is something anyone else can buy. In fact, the person that sold that machine is likely telling all of his clients and potential clients about that “competitive edge.”

Competitive edge is defined by quality, responsiveness, and meeting commitments. That’s not something that can be purchased through a website or from a catalog.

Support the metal fabricating industry by supporting each other. You never know when you might need that helping hand next.