Metal fabricators are continually seeking to improve throughput and eliminate bottlenecks, often while facing labor constraints and increasing production demands. Automation is often the logical next step; however, there are many opportunities to optimize the processes already in place with the team and equipment available today while paving the way for potential future expansion into automation.
Regardless of whether automation is on the horizon, shops must take a critical look at fundamentals such as part consistency, fixturing, workflow structure, and labor utilization. Without these elements in place, inefficiencies will persist regardless of the level of technology introduced.
Identifying the Core Problems
Caltech Manufacturing, Warminster, Pa., found that two of its most significant challenges encountered in early-stage operations were inconsistent part flow and poor fit-up.
Welders found themselves running out of parts, forcing them to stop work and wait on upstream processes. At the same time, parts that did reach the weld station sometimes required additional work before welding could begin due to inconsistent fit-up. Together, these issues compounded, reducing arc-on time and lowering overall throughput.
At this early stage, addressing these problems required focusing on process control rather than equipment changes.
Fixturing and Fit-Up Control
Proper fixturing is one of the most critical aspects for success in any weld shop; how you tack and assemble your part ultimately determines how your part will turn out, good or bad.
Effective fixtures were designed so components could only be assembled one way, eliminating the chance of being loaded backward or otherwise incorrectly. By removing that variability, improved fixturing addressed issues at the earliest stage of the welding process. Welding execution cannot compensate for poor fit-up or misalignment introduced earlier in the process.
This renewed focus on proper fixturing resulted in reduced rework, more consistent part quality, and more arc-on time for their team’s most skilled welders. For many shops, this represents a high-impact, low-cost improvement that directly supports productivity.
Breaking Weldments into Manageable Subassemblies
Another step involved restructuring how work was assigned on the shop floor to maximize the contribution of less-experienced welders. Jobs were broken into smaller, repeatable subassemblies, allowing operators to master specific welds rather than attempting to learn an entire complex part at once.
This approach allowed less experienced welders to focus on defined tasks and build proficiency through repetition while also accelerating skill development. By simplifying tasks, overall weld quality improved while allowing valuable work to be distributed across the entire welding team, regardless of skill level.
Maximizing Arc-On Time: Are Your Welders Welding?
When evaluating shop efficiency, one of the most important questions to ask is what can be done so that your welders are welding.
A useful comparison is a surgical environment. A specialized, highly skilled surgeon is not the one responsible for preparing the operating room. Support staff handle setup so the surgeon can focus solely on completing the procedure for which they are uniquely qualified for.
This same principle applies in a fab shop. In less efficient operations, welders spend a significant portion of their time on nonwelding tasks such as layout, fitting, or grinding. While necessary, these tasks reduce the time available for the specialized work only they can perform.
Separating responsibilities allows each role to focus on its highest-value contribution. Support personnel handle preparation, fixturing, and finishing work, enabling the highest-skill welders to remain focused on welding.
Rethinking Scheduling and Workforce Strategy
Smart allocation of labor plays a significant role in maintaining throughput. A strategy that Caltech has found effective is scheduling less experienced welders on repeatable work first, providing a high volume of consistent tasks. This creates an opportunity for skill development while maintaining steady output.
At the same time, this approach helps prevent burnout for experienced welders while ensuring they remain available for complex work, rework, and support when needed.
By rethinking scheduling in this way, shops can accelerate skill development across the team while preserving capacity for higher-level tasks. Managing differences in welder experience level is essential to maintaining balanced production.
Culture and Work Environment
Sustained improvement requires a strong workplace culture that supports efficiency and long-term performance.
Welding is physically and mentally demanding work. Encouraging operators to take necessary breaks while maintaining efficient transitions back to work helps balance productivity with sustainability.
Equally important is recognizing that welders themselves are the primary drivers of output. Equipment plays a role, but the team’s capability, consistency, and engagement are what ultimately determine performance. Establishing a culture focused on efficiency, accountability, and continuous improvement is essential for long-term success.
Transitioning to Automation
Before adopting automation, certain non-negotiable elements must be in place to ensure success. It is crucial to have efficient upstream processes and parts to allow automated welding systems to perform the repeatable welds they thrive on, and it’s equally important to find a motivated worker to take ownership of the system’s success.
After establishing consistent processes in fixturing, workflow, and labor utilization, Caltech took the next steps in improving productivity by implementing collaborative robotic (cobot) welding systems. Over time, they’ve continually scaled capacity by adding seven Vectis Automation cobot welding systems that support both steel and aluminum welding.
These systems have further increased throughput, supported workforce development, and allowed experienced welders to spend more time on the shop’s highest-skill work.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Caltech Manufacturing’s transition to automation has been highly successful because the foundational elements were already in place. Consistent part quality, reliable fixturing, and properly structured workflows were areas that the company analyzed and optimized before ever implementing an automated welding system, allowing these tools to build on an already stable process.
For shops considering automation, the key takeaway is that automation readiness begins with having efficient processes already in place. Automation can significantly increase a shop’s capacity for growth, but it begins with a strong foundation in part quality, fixturing, and workplace culture — all of which can be improved with the team and tools you have in place today.
Reprinted with permission: The AWS Welding Journal