Structural steel production had been subjected to significant changes recently, however, there are still a limited amount of producers who can perform new and effective methods in production. Cutting, drilling, and welding the steel to meet your project requirements are the main three processes the producers perform to transform this versatile material into crucial support components of a structure. In this regard, there are 6 essential questions worth asking your structural steel producer, just to clarify some of the obscure points.
1. How experienced are they in this business?
Besides their years of service, it is of greater importance than in which scale of operations has your steel provider handled in the past. Has this candidate of producer ever involved in a structural steel production project, like your project? You should ask specific questions about their past experiences. It makes much more sense to select a structural steel fabricator that has successfully finished the given production project.
2. Which internal process do they generally use in structural steel production?
As a customer, you should expect your steel provider to give information about their reliable, internally implemented processes. Inquisition of the producer about this will give you introductory information whether they know what they are doing or not. For instance, every structural steel producer must prepare their production plan according to the code of AWS D1.1 which presents what types of steel materials and production processes should be selected. Compliance with these standards will end up in high-quality structural steel products.
3. Do they prefer in-house production or outsourcing?
Most common methods such as panting and blasting are improving, day by day. Producers which are using the latest high technology tools in their processes would better be chosen. When compared to outsourcing, in-house production ensures a guaranteed quality and superiority over outsourced structural steels. Your structural steel provider that is not only capable of welding and production but also finalize your project completely in-house, also giving the material its final appearance, can be an excellent choice for addressing your needs.
4. Do they provide precise detailing?
Before selecting the steel provider, it is important to know if they provide detailing of structural steel after production. Detailers are responsible for converting the design on paper into real objects. In order to do this, larger organizations contain detailers on board who utilize the latest computer-aided design software programs for detailed technical drawings down to shop drawings.
5. Which equipment and tools do they use?
You should overlook the types of tools and equipment which your steel provider utilizes. To be frank, it is very logical to sort them out according to the tools and equipment they own. By sorting them, you can easily see which one has superior capabilities due to its infrastructure. To give an example, producers having innovative tools and equipment such as a beamline are likely to finish the production projects without any delays, increasing efficiency and quality for low costs. A steel provider using old and outdated tools are unfortunately doomed to give delayed notice to their customers frequently.
6. How are they hiring their talents?
You should request a short written report about the hiring policies of your steel provider. The guidelines of their policy should give enough information about the allocation of their workers and welders. For example, employing welders having AWS Certifications are a good sign for their hiring policies. Such indications will make them more preferable among other producers.
These 6 questions are only a small portion of what you can ask your future structural steel producer for your construction projects. Always remember that you have to consider the decision from different aspects. A producer who has the right materials may not be the one you are looking for. They may not have adequate infrastructure and technology and may not be qualified enough to fulfill your desires. They also have to possess the know-how, a good team, and a strong commitment. Seeking the answers to these questions will surely bring you 6 steps closer to the right structural steel producer to accommodate your project.
Curious about the steel industry? Check out our other interesting post about it: https://yenaengineering.nl/4-latest-technologies-in-steel-industry/
