As your original equipment manufacturer (OEM) company grows and your needs change, it’s natural to question whether you’re partnered with the right contract metal fabricator. Perhaps you need higher quality custom metal fabrications or more comprehensive industrial fabrication services.

Staying with the wrong OEM contract fabricator is potentially harmful to you and your customers. Even if you’ve been with the same metal manufacturing supplier for years, it’s not too late to find your ideal strategic partner.

You may feel that the cost of switching suppliers is too great, or that your existing supplier will improve its services. Maybe you’ve even invested your time and money in teaching your supplier how to better serve you.

Don’t become dependent on a metal fabrication partner that’s unable to meet your company’s broad challenges. It should be a red flag if your company:

• Receives late delivery of parts
• Has to shut down manufacturing lines due to late deliveries or lengthy maintenance issues
• Doesn’t hit production targets due to missing or incorrect part
• Has issues with product quality
• Sees excessive warranty claims

You should also begin looking for a new metal fabricator if your current supplier is not flexible in its available capacity and pushes back on filling large orders.

Remember, you should be partnering with a fabricator that can manage risk and work with you toward a common goal. Your metal fabrication partner should be fully committed to your company’s success.

Are you working with the right OEM fabricator, or is it time to find a more suitable supplier-partner? In installment one of this three-part blog series, consider the first sign you are partnered with a metal fabrication partner that is driving your business forward:

Your Partner Keeps Extra Inventory In Stock

One of the common challenges OEMs face is accurate demand forecasting. It’s not always easy to predict your product’s success in the marketplace. By taking product awareness, price, distribution, demand and competitor offers into account, you calculate your best estimate. However, mistakes are bound to happen.

The right metal fabrication partner ensures that an error in product forecasting doesn’t stop your production line. With extra inventory in stock, your partner should be able to ship you new parts in a matter of hours. This buffer stock is essential in an emergency.

Running out of custom metal parts has dire consequences. You may miss profitable sales or lose important customers. It may even be necessary to reschedule your production line, which reduces efficiency and takes a toll on your workforce.

It’s frustrating when your facility is prepared to meet heightened market demand, but is lacking the required finished parts inventory. Your OEM metal fabricator must have the foresight and capacity to help you increase production on short notice.

Partnering with the right metal fabricator is a strategic decision that helps you boost revenue. If you’re working to hit important budget goals, your partner is able to identify areas where it can increase efficiency, streamlining all of your manufacturing processes for greater overall cost savings. By being flexible to your demands, your partner also helps you sustain healthy growth.

Don’t miss out on the rest of this series. Learn more about other signs that your metal fabricator is the right partner for your OEM business.