The wide spectrum of business models in sheet metal fabrication

The panel brought three generationally different approaches to modern sheet‑metal fabrication into one conversation. Lance Therocchio described All Metals Fabricating’s multi‑decade evolution: family ownership since 1978, a history in telecom that collapsed around Y2K, and a deliberate diversification into wind/energy storage and data‑center work (telecom now ~25% of sales). He explained a staffing philosophy—flexible shifts and overtime—to avoid layoffs and the stepwise adoption of automation (beginning ~2016) including lasers with auto‑loaders, laser‑punch combos and automated bin cells to enable rapid scaling without massive hiring. Lance also warned automation’s downside: when several critical machines failed at once they saw significant monthly revenue impact.

Caleb Chamberlain represented the other pole: a software‑driven, high‑mix, low‑volume service (Ashcut/Oshcut) launched ~6 years ago that offers instant online quoting and an end‑to‑end in‑house stack (DFM, nesting, scheduling, ERP, and CAM program generation). He said ~90% of parts are single‑run and ~90% of revenue comes from repeat customers ordering different parts, which justifies heavy investment in software rather than traditional sales or purchasing headcount. Cody Lee’s story bridged those worlds—Everyday Technologies (origin 1928, purchased Aug 2021) has moved from legacy OEM production toward more quick‑turn and prototype work after recent customer pullbacks; Cody highlighted pragmatic automation choices (replacing an old CO2 laser with a 10kW fiber laser, adding material movers rather than an $800k tower) and recent front‑office moves like implementing Paperless Parts to accelerate quoting and CAM.

Speakers agreed on the big picture: automation matters both on the floor and in the office, but it must be matched to business model. Caleb argues horizontal, instant‑quote services will consolidate to a few scale players, while Lance and Cody emphasize vertical integration, quality systems for OEMs, and selective automation tied to throughput pain points. The conversation closed on collaborative supply‑chain ideas—regional blanking and job‑flow tracking—to better use idle capacity, reduce lead times and smooth production bottlenecks. An industry reshuffle is underway where software and selective automation reshape who does what in the sheet‑metal value chain.