How to Choose the Best Commercial Fabrication Company

How many ways can a project go haywire?

While it’s true that anytime a big commercial fabrication project is launched there are myriad opportunities for the unexpected, it’s also true that they can be pulled off seamlessly. What’s the best way to avoid headaches and stress? By taking your time to research commercial fabrication companies in a methodical and detailed manner, you can go into this partnership feeling confident that your project will be given the time and attention it deserves and be completed on time and on budget. 

This article guides you through how to choose the best commercial fabrication company to meet your needs, goals, timeline, and budget. Because big projects don’t have to cause big headaches.

Commercial Fabrication vs Industrial Fabrication 

Commercial fabrication is the process of designing and fabricating a custom product for a specific retail, hospitality, or other commercial space. It often involves myriad digital design, rendering, and fabrication techniques. 

Industrial fabrication also involves customization, design, and fabrication, but the purpose or intent is to join a bigger process - the building of a shoe, an airplane, or a blender for example. 

While commercial fabrication is geared toward the consumer as the end user, industrial fabrication is often more B2B-oriented. The end user is the brand manufacturing the athletic shoe, blender, or airplane. 

Another differentiator is that commercial fabrication requires creative direction. The project needs to tell a story, engage an audience and reflect the brand’s values and aesthetic. The objective may be to educate, entertain or inform, so companies operating in the space should understand branding and experiential marketing. 

Selecting the Perfect Commercial Fabrication Partner

1. Determine your needs and objectives. What are you trying to achieve? Do you need a specialty part or a custom component? Or are you looking for a custom trade show booth, retail activation, or another commercial element?  How will the product be used? Where? Who will be using it?
   
   
2. Research potential companies Are there companies that specialize in what you are trying to accomplish? Ask other brands for referrals. Read reviews. Visit each prospect’s website to learn about their history, how long they’ve been in business, and what kinds of customers they serve. If you need plastic fabrication or shipping to Canada, make sure those are services they can provide. 
   
   
3. Evaluate each candidate’s experience. Is the firm licensed and insured? Have they done similar projects in the past? Check out their credentials, and be sure to ask about quality standards - how do they measure success?
   
   
4. Consider communication and customer service skills. This is a vital but often overlooked point of consideration. If a company is slow to get back to you or unclear in its communications at the initial stages, those are red flags. Keep looking til you find someone who is prompt, clear, and respectful on the communication and customer service fronts. 
   
   
5. Analyze cost and value. Ask for quotes, then evaluate both the cost and the value. The cheapest companies may not return enough value, while the most expensive may be out of budget no matter how good they are. Paying a little more for an end product that offers cost benefits like longevity, reuse, portability, etc. can be a better long-term investment. 
   
   
6. Finalize. Once you’ve taken this methodical approach to finding the perfect commercial fabrication partner, the last step is to finalize your decision and sign the contract. 

Launching a commercial fabrication project can be daunting, but choosing the right company doesn’t have to be. Taking the time to vet each prospective partner thoroughly, and ask the right questions, will provide you with invaluable insight into which company will be the best fit for your job. Some will likely weed themselves out through poor communication or slow follow-through, others may simply not understand your industry or be able to meet your budget or time constraints. Although navigating this process adds a bit of time on the front end, you’ll more than makeup for it when your project is a total success.

At Bridgewater Studio, our goal is to make commercial fabrication jobs as seamless and stressless as possible. We do this by bringing the entire process under one roof. From planning to production, installation to take down, we offer clients a single partner for the entirety of their project. Schedule a no-pressure introduction to Bridgewater Studio today and get a free plan for your next commercial fabrication project.