Structural Steel Fabrication: Choosing the Best Fabricator for Your Building’s Backbone

22 November 2016

Big questions hang just out of reach when you’re choosing the best fabricator for your building’s backbone. All right, the crane advertised by a likely candidate indicates a strong mechanical backbone, but there’s still no guarantee this expertise extends across every department of the business. For a full-service fabricator, the shortlisted contractor needs more than an understanding of loading conditions, they need engineering savvy and an innate knowledge of structural steel.

Full-Service Engineering Savvy

The right structural steel and crane hire candidate exists somewhere on your carefully compiled shortlist, but what makes the company stand out from the rest? Make the choice based on the quality of the equipment, but be aware of certain truisms. First, premium cranes and fully-featured welding equipment are good to have, but they’re only as good as the craftsman operating them. Next, reputation counts for everything, so evaluate the service, its completed projects and work portfolio, before pairing this consideration with the length of time the company has been in business.

Choose Your Custom-Fit

If the company in question has the right credentials, maybe they don’t meet your requirements in other key departments. Is your project a shed or warehouse? Maybe it’s a new extension for an existing structure? You’ve narrowed the services down, so they’re professionally equipped to construct, erect, and weld the frame pieces, but can they accommodate your unique requirements? Talk to the management team and gain an insight into how they work. The service should always operate on a proverbial “open book” policy, so use this candid communications channel to assess the company.

Market Competitive VS. Competence-Based Construction

As a building slowly comes together, a whole series of logistical concerns adds complex layers to the project. Opt for the best fabricator for your building’s backbone, but do so while weighing these logistics-based factors. For instance, the duration of the erection stage may occupy a substantial part of the process, and the work may even be up to standard, but it’s hardly market competitive if all of this labour takes several months to complete. The better solution is to keep all stages of the job in-house so that the well-reputed hire company is responsible for the logistics of every stage, from concept to final erection.

In short, do create a bias that targets the fabricator with the best cranes, the best workers, and the finest reputation, but shorten this selection process by avoiding a piecemeal approach. Use a single coordinated service, a steel fabrication company that diligently ensures every phase of the project receives expert attention.