Solving Your Welding Backlog with Cobots for Metal Fabrication

Ask any welding manager about the two biggest headaches, and you'll likely hear them mention “finding skilled labor” and “meeting production deadlines”. Whether due to increased customer demands, staffing issues, or equipment malfunctions, these backlogs are a constant challenge that can cripple your operation if not effectively addressed.

For most welding managers, this leaves you feeling like you’re always trying to catch up or, worse, you’re losing business to a steel products fabricator who can deliver. Fortunately, modern technology like welding cobots could be the solution you were looking for to help meet the strong demand for your services.

 Let’s explore the potential causes of fabrication backlog and what can help you get ahead of the situation.

What’s causing your metal fabrication backlog?

Dealing with production delays is something every production manager knows all too well. These delays aren't just because we have a lot of orders. They happen because of several reasons.

Clients want more complex and customized work, new machines and technology take time to get used to, sometimes, we can't get the materials we need on time, and finding skilled workers is tough. Plus, ensuring everything we do meets high-quality standards can also slow things down

 Understanding these issues is key to finding ways to work faster and keep our customers happy.

Lack of Skilled Employees

This has been an ongoing problem in fabrication and something 72% of businesses are worried about. The lack of workers results from a few different issues coming together. The big one is that a lot of people are aging out. The average age of welders is around 40, and industry experts are predicting a need for an additional 360,000 welders by 2027 as more and more welders approach retirement age.

Your talented team, as professional and efficient as they are, may still be overwhelmed by the volume of work. You might find yourself contemplating the most effective way to mitigate your welding backlog.

Inefficient Processes

Even the most finely tuned production process has bottlenecks. It’s not something that you’re doing wrong, but people and equipment have limitations that impact your ability to work.

 Things like setting up workstations, switching to new products, outdated manufacturing approaches (or equipment), and even training new employees can create moments when your process slows down. If you ignore these (or fail to address them adequately), they build up over time and increase your backlog.

Outdated Approach to Production

The technical aspect of the work can make it hard to see possible solutions. Just like Austin Horner, lead engineer at PDU Inc., experienced:

 “The inherent nature of the casting process and the removal of gates and risers create dimensional inconsistencies from part to part. Because of this, we previously did not consider welding automation.”

The challenge here is moving beyond “This is the way we’ve always done things,” because while that may have served your business well for a while, you’ll eventually start losing out to fabricators who’ve embraced a more modern approach to the industry.

Supply Chain Disruptions

You can’t control how, when, or if the materials you need will arrive. For most fabricators, the supply chain is wholly beyond their control. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t impact your business.

The supply chain issues are one of those frustrating factors that can make you feel like there's nothing you can do about the situation. However, optimizing the downstream processes can help catch up on some delays and improve delivery times.

Fabrication Quality Issues

Quality issues in metal fabrication can significantly contribute to production backlogs, creating a ripple effect that impacts not just the timeline but also the overall workflow. When a product doesn't meet the required standards, it often needs to be reworked or completely redone, which takes extra time and resources. This slows down the production of the current project and delays the start of new ones, leading to a pile-up of orders.

Moreover, frequent quality problems can strain the client relationship, potentially leading to lost business and a tarnished reputation. Addressing these quality issues promptly and effectively is crucial to maintaining a smooth production line and avoiding the accumulation of backlogs.

How Cobots Can Help Reduce Your Welding Backlog

Collaborative robots, or cobots, are a technology in the fabrication sector that can potentially change how manufacturers work for the better. Unlike traditional robots, cobots don’t fully replace skilled workers in the fabrication process. They’re designed to do part of the job, like welding, while the welder counterparts manage details like setting up the task and quality control.

At their very highest level, welding cobots, like the ESAB Cobot, eliminate bottlenecks and streamline your manufacturing process. They excel at quickly doing repetitive tasks in a way that reduces production time and increases quality & consistency.

 “In the first 4 months since the ESAB Cobot was delivered, PDU Inc. shaved 16% off their open order rate and is gaining ground every day,” says Horner.

Faster Production

Once you’re up and running, welding cobots take over your production line's repetitive and boring welds.

Welding cobots ultimately lead to huge increases in productivity, with some companies reporting an increase between 500% and 800%.

 “Now with our new cobot and associated fixturing, we can weld eight parts in about the same time it took us to weld one part by hand,” says Horner from PDU Inc.

Solving your labor shortage

If you’re struggling to find skilled welders, cobots can help by giving your existing team the ability to do more in a period of time. By having your valued workers focus on tasks like job setup, quality control and manually welding more complex parts, you’ll uncover a new capacity without having to hire more staff.

Optimize Throughput With Fast Iterations

Beyond that, any new technology needs a setup and optimization time. That time can delay some production tasks and can add to your backlog. This is why the choice of the technology is paramount to quick iterations for a great experience.

 “We knew there were going to be constant iterations of our programs,” says Patrick Frome, PDU mechanical design engineer. “We made about 200 iterations over the course of three months, which is lightning fast in the manufacturing world. By testing different combinations of welding and cobot variables, we obtained the best balance of weld quality, consistency, and speed.”

Consistent Quality

Even your best welder can have an off day. It’s the nature of being human. Lower-quality work means finishing, reworking, and re-doing until it’s up to your standards. This unfortunately doesn’t help a production backlog.

 Welding cobots don’t deal with the same issues that people do. They don’t get bored of repetitive tasks or tired from long hours (things that can lead to a reduced quality of work). They also perform the same quality welds every time. This means a lot of time saved and faster lead time.

 “The ESAB Cobot allows us to achieve our quality standards and produce in a timely fashion, at a cost-effective rate. That’s really what we strive for as a company,” says Skyvington.

Increased Worker Safety

Workplace injuries can impact your ability to eliminate your backlog, especially when finding replacements for skilled workers is already hard. Cobots help keep your team safe by removing them from the more dangerous aspects of the job, like working directly with welding torches.

You still need to ensure that all the standard safety precautions are in place and that your team is wearing the proper PPE, but cobots keep your welders out of harm’s way while reducing your backlog.

Greater Flexibility

You can’t really do anything about supply chain issues, but you can be flexible enough to reduce the impact they have on your business (without having to implement strict inventory management practices).

With welding cobots, you can switch focus pretty quickly, and get started on projects you do have the materials for. Not only that, but if you’re faced with a long-term shortage or problems with supply chain inventories, cobots can help you adapt your business to offer additional services that your customers might need to fill in the gaps.

Choosing the Right Cobot Can Quickly Reduce Your Backlog

Something that holds businesses back from investing in automation technology like cobots is often the time it takes to implement the systems and learn how to use them effectively. Some welding cobot solutions, like the ESAB Cobot, eliminate this by being accessible to your current welders and workers from the start.

“When I first saw the ESAB Cobot, it was exactly what I had envisioned. It actually lived up to the advertisement hype about how easy it was to program — we had guys in the sales demo writing programs on it in the first 40 minutes,” says Skyvington Manufacturing.

By not choosing the proper solution, you may find yourself needing to:

• hire robotics-skilled staff
• get your team off production to get them trained for weeks
• or not being able to start or pivot your production quickly enough

Perhaps the most important aspect of getting started with cobots is selecting a manufacturer who makes getting set up and in production easy. You also need to ensure that they’ve got your back if something goes wrong.

“A company like us can’t have downtime,” says Horner about his experience with ESAB. “Their ability to be quick on their feet and get us what we need is huge. Their support has made this go so smoothly, and we know that if we need them here, they’re here the same day.”

The ESAB Cobot can help you get started quickly, with a level of training and support that is unmatched in the industry. To learn more about how cobots can help your business reduce your backlog and help you position yourself as being more prepared than your competitors, let’s talk. Our experts can help you get started on your cobot journey today.

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