Waste represents a tangible loss of resources which translates into increased costs and lost revenue, so whether it’s minimising wasted materials or keeping a lid on unnecessary consumption of energy or water, every step of the manufacturing process needs to be carefully investigated for opportunities to reduce waste.

Reducing waste is as imperative for the fabricators themselves as it is for their customers, because the end result will be a more productive, profitable organisation which is able to reduce the final cost of their products – and therefore deliver better value to their clients.

This article investigates ways that sheet metal fabricators can minimise the amount of material wasted – and by doing so, how they can reduce their operating costs, improve their margins, reduce the costs of disposing of their waste material and ultimately deliver cost-benefits to customers and improve the long-term sustainability of their business.

Professional sheet metal fabricators understand that if they are to achieve material savings, they need to know what their material use rate is and where their best opportunities to save costs are.  It’s important for them to examine their inventory and to question whether savings may be possible through holding a smaller inventory or by buying sheet metal in smaller sizes or in larger quantities which may reduce transport and storage costs.

With sheet metal fabrication, one of the keys to reducing waste is improving the usage of the material.  This could be anything from using the trimmed sections to produce additional parts, batching parts together that have similar straight edges or radii and using the ‘hole’ of a part to create additional items.

Another good strategy to reduce waste in sheet metal fabrication is to use higher grade material that would otherwise have been scrapped to create filler parts that would normally be made from a new piece of lower grade material.  This can result in less wastage of higher grade material – with the added benefit of reduced costs.

For many steel fabrication companies, a certain amount of scrap is unavoidable – but the trick is to continually investigate ways of minimising wastage and improve efficiencies.  Automation and technology both go a long way in minimising waste during the fabrication process – and a professional sheet metal fabricator will continually invest in manufacturing processes and equipment  to ensure their ongoing competitiveness.   For example, a fabricator using sophisticated CNC equipment or laser cutters can maximise the number of items or forms made from a single metal sheet due to the precision accuracy of the equipment – and are therefore able to minimise the amount of waste material.  Advanced software can also help to maximise the usage of materials.  As far as possible, leftover remnants should be retained and used wherever possible.

If you’re looking for a specialist in sheet metal fabrication in Perth that doesn’t waste raw materials unnecessarily and pass on those extra costs to customers, WA Steel in Bassendean is the name to remember.  They use a variety of processes and strategies to ensure that they minimise waste and deliver superior quality and cost-effective products to their customers.  One of their focus areas is ongoing investment in the latest manufacturing equipment and technology – and this has put them at the forefront of steel and sheet metal fabrication technology in Perth.

WA Steel specialise in a range of metal fabrication including steel, stainless steel and aluminium fabrication and to find out more about their total manufacturing solutions, you can either call them on 08 9377 3778 or visit their website, www. wasteel.com.au.

Maintaining a safe working environment is obviously important from a health and welfare perspective and it’s imperative to take all practical steps to minimise the risk of injury to personnel on site, but there are many other issues that are affected by workplace safety (or lack thereof).

Safety issues can negatively impact on productivity and can lead to increased costs, loss of goodwill, financial penalties and possible legal action in the event of a workplace injury, unhappy staff and the potential loss of customers – so it’s imperative that steel fabricators put workplace safety on the top of their daily agendas.

The legislative framework provided by the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 plus additional resources from by government and industry bodies (e.g. WorkSafe Australia) provide clear guidance on controlling risk in the workplace, but if you’re wanting a quick snapshot of safety tips for a steel fabrication business, here are five key things you need to consider.

1. Wear protective clothing

Steel fabrication is a potentially hazardous industry and workers should always wear approved protective gear such as overalls, heavy duty gloves, safety glasses or goggles, steel capped boots and hard hats.  Workers should also be mindful of wearing baggy clothing or jewellery that may get entangled in the equipment and should take care to tie long hair back.

2. Prevent inhalation of dust

Sheet metal fabrication may result in the release of tiny particles of dust into the air which could be harmful if inhaled, so workers on the factory floor should wear masks or other suitable protection over their mouths and noses.

3. Avoid skin burns

Sheet metal has high thermal conductivity and consequently can become very hot when exposed to any heat source – and very cold when temperatures drop.   Workers need to be very aware of the potential for burns – both from hot metal and freezer burns from cold metal – and wear protective gloves when handling the material.

4. Prevent injuries caused by heavy lifting

Using machinery rather than manual labour for moving heavy pieces of sheet metal is a key step in avoiding injuries (such as back and neck strains or shoulder injuries) which can be sustained from heavy lifting.

5. Safe handling and storage of equipment

Proper training on the use of tools and equipment involved in sheet metal fabrication is critically important – as is ensuring that all machinery and tools are maintained optimally.  Whether the equipment being used is state-of-the-art cutting machinery or conventional shears and grinders, it’s imperative that they’re in good working order so that the risk of injury is minimised.

A professional steel fabrication company won’t take any shortcuts when it comes to ensuring the safety of both their employees and anyone else visiting their workplace and they’ll take all steps that are practically possible to reduce or eliminate any risk.  This will include identifying hazards, providing appropriate training, ensuring compliance with legislative processes and implementing appropriate health and safety procedures that are adhered to and properly supervised.

A steel fabricator that places a high value on workplace safety is one that delivers the best results for its customers.   W A Steel is one such company – and their belief that a safer working environment supports enhanced business results has yielded decades of success in steel fabrication in Perth.  They produce high quality fabricated steel products for the mining, transport, construction, aviation and materials handling industries using their advanced production facilities in Bassendean, and have a variety of in-house processes giving them the capacity and precision to undertake a wide range of fabricated components and projects to meet customer specifications.  If you’d like to learn more about one of the leading steel fabrication companies in Perth and their strong focus on safety, please call them on 08 9377 3778 or visit their website, www.wasteel.com.au.