FabTrol Insights

Steel fabricators are hands-on types. Many of the people trusted to manage materials, estimating, production and projects have probably spent time working in fab shops or at the job site.  If you work with a few sharp people who deliver value without the advantage of this hands-on experience, encourage them to spend a few days each year in the shop or out in the field with the customers or co-workers who consume their work product.

Steel Day provides the perfect opportunity for this.

This year FabTrol joined forces with steel fabricators, galvanizers and local universities to provide an educational opportunity for young architects, engineers, fabricators and others who wanted to learn more about steel.  And we were learners too--half of our development team visited the shops involved, adding to the many thousands of hours current staff have spent in hundreds of steel fabrication shops across the globe (photos here).

We can’t imagine providing the value our customers expect from us without this hands-on experience. If your staff are only a short walk or drive from the shop or a job site and you aren’t already taking advantage of it, consider letting them see everything involved in producing a small batch of work. Let the assistant project manager ride along the next time a project manager has to solve an erection problem at a local job site or perhaps you could give the purchasing agent a chance to run the saw or assist the saw/drill operator for a day.  They'll learn more about the "why" of their efforts and probably connect with someone who can provide assistance the next time they need to know how to best serve the shop or field.