What to Discuss Before Choosing an Ongoing Fabrication Supplier
The questions worth asking a fabricator are about scope, communication and how a problem gets handled, not about who has the largest machine.
A one off order survives a weak process. A supply relationship does not. Before committing to a fabricator for ongoing work, these are the questions that decide whether the relationship holds up.
What is inside the scope, and what is not
Ask directly. Cutting, forming, welding and finishing are not automatically all included, and finishing in particular is often the surprise: at KorFab it is coordinated through partner shops rather than performed in the building, which means it is a real step in the schedule.
Ask about installation too. KorFab does not install on site, and a supplier relationship that assumes it does will fail at the first delivery.
How drawings and revisions are handled
- Which revision is live, and how a change is communicated. A change sent to an individual and not to the drawing is a change that gets built twice.
- Where the record lives: drawing number, revision, and the date it was approved.
- Whether the stored program is tied to the revision. Repeat work cuts from the stored program, which is exactly why the revision has to be current.
Reordering a part with a drawing revision is the article to read if this is the part that worries you.
How questions get answered
Every fabricator will come back with questions on the first few jobs. The useful question is who answers them and how fast. A relationship where the estimating contact knows the parts and the shop can check a detail before it cuts is different from one where a request disappears into a queue.
Capacity, honestly described
Not the machine list. The useful conversation is about what a fabricator can absorb in a normal week, what a peak looks like, and what happens when two customers need the same week. A supplier who describes the limit is more useful than one who does not have one.
What repeat work looks like
Ask how a repeat order is priced and scheduled, whether the fixture or program carries over, and what happens when quantity changes between releases. KorFab quotes each release against the requirement in front of it, and a forecast does not reserve capacity or fix a price. Understanding that early avoids a difficult conversation later.
Finish and delivery
Where finishing happens, who inspects it, and how the parts are packed. Then delivery: local, statewide or freight, and what information the supplier needs to arrange it.
The test at the end
Send one real package and watch how the review comes back. A supplier who returns specific questions about your parts is reading them. That is the signal worth more than any capability list.