Day: April 30, 2026

1. In-House Capability – Not Subcontracted

• The best fabricators carry out the work in their own facility, with their own qualified workforce and equipment
• Extensive subcontracting adds cost, removes direct quality control, and makes schedule management significantly harder
• Ask explicitly: what operations are carried out in your own workshop, and what is subcontracted to third parties?

2. Qualified Welding Workforce

• Welders must hold current qualification certificates for the welding processes, material grades, and joint configurations relevant to your project
• Applicable standards in India: IS 7307 (qualification of welders), AWS D1.1 (structural welding), or classification society requirements for marine work
• Supervisor-level competence is equally important ask who is responsible for welding quality control on the shop floor
• Ask: how many certified welders do you currently employ, and what are their qualification scopes?

3. Equipment Appropriate to Your Scope

• Overhead crane capacity determines the maximum sub-assembly size the workshop can handle a component that exceeds the crane capacity must be assembled in multiple pieces on-site
• CNC cutting equipment delivers dimensional accuracy and repeatability that manual oxy-fuel cutting cannot match for profiles with curves, notches, or close-tolerance features
• Adequate covered workshop space fabrication carried out in an open yard is exposed to weather, prone to quality problems, and difficult to supervise effectively

4. A Documented Quality Process

• At minimum: a written Inspection and Test Plan (ITP) for each project, defining every inspection point, acceptance criteria, responsible party, and records required
• ISO 9001 certification is the benchmark for a mature quality management system it demonstrates that the quality process is documented, followed, and audited
• Ask for an example ITP from a previous similar project the level of detail tells you more about the QMS than any certificate
• A fabricator without a documented QMS is managing quality informally which works until it doesn’t

5. Realistic Scheduling and Delivery Track Record

• A capable fabricator will tell you their current workshop loading and give you an honest lead time not the lead time you want to hear
• Ask specifically for references about delivery performance, not just quality late delivery of fabricated components causes site delays that are expensive and often impossible to recover
• Confirm what happens if the fabricator falls behind programme: who carries the cost of a site delay caused by late delivery?

6. Clear and Complete Documentation

• Mill certificates, weld records, dimensional inspection reports, and coating records should be standard deliverables included in the price not extras that require negotiation
• Without documentation, you cannot demonstrate compliance to a client, insurer, or statutory authority and you cannot resolve a dispute about the specification of a component already installed
• Ask specifically: what documentation will I receive with the fabricated components, and in what format?