Needed Qualifications for a Career in Industrial Fabrication

Working in industrial fabrication is becoming increasingly popular in the last few years. If your company is looking forward to hiring someone in this field, the person should meet the needed qualifications for a career in industrial fabrication.

As experts in the industry with more than 40 years of experience, we are here to help you find the perfect candidate for the job. We will go through every aspect you should pay attention to, from interpersonal skills to formal training and certifications.

Source: craftsmenind.com

Overview of Industrial Manufacturing Jobs

Industrial Fabrication Services include complex manufacturing processes that turn raw materials into the desired product. Having this in mind, industrial fabrication goes through different phases where each employee should have specific fabrication skills and training based on the position they are working on.

We will take our company as an example. The fabrication process in Craftsmen Industries includes experts in different fields. We start with the product's design and drawing and continue with material selection.

Next, the industrial fabrication process has a lot of steps that might depend on the product but generally include:

• Punching
• Casting
• Forging
• Welding
• Forming
• Assembling
• Final touches
• Quality control and
• Packing and shipping

For each step of the way, your company needs a qualified worker so the job can go smoothly. With the right workers, industrial fabrication work can be effective and efficient, all while offering high-quality products.

Needed Qualifications for a Career in Industrial Fabrication

With so many positions in industrial fabrication, your company should know exactly what type of worker it needs. Here is a list of the most common positions.

• Metal fabricator
• Welder
• Assembler
• Designer
• Laser cutter operator
• Field installers
• Mechanist
• Quality control
• CNC operators
• Painters and finishers

Now, let’s dig deeper into the skills needed in industrial fabrication careers.

Interpersonal skills

Every worker, no matter their position, needs to have the following interpersonal skills:

• Excellent communication skills
• Active listening
• Ability to cooperate with other employees from different positions
• Good time management
• Proper work ethic and behavior
• Flexibility
• Critical and creative thinking
• Ability to work under pressure
• Problem-resolving skills

Aside from these skills, people higher on the leader, such as managers in the industrial fabrication process, must have excellent leadership skills, empathy, negotiating skills, and possess great multitasking abilities.

Training and education requirements for industrial fabrication

As for the training and education requirements for industrial fabrication, they differ according to the position.

Metal fabricator

Metal fabricators are one of the highly requested job positions in industrial fabrication. In fact, there are 58,870 metal fabricators and fitters in the U.S. who earn a mean annual wage of $48,870.

If your company needs a metal fabricator for an entry-level job and offers on-site training, you should look for candidates with a high school diploma or GED. 

On the other hand, the perfect candidate for more complex metal fabricator positions should have an Associate of Applied Science degree in technical skills. On top of that, we also recommend you look for someone with certain experience as a metal fabricator. 

Also, we always see it as a bonus if a candidate has additional certifications like those from the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association and MCA.

Welder

Welders are skilled professionals who are often in demand in the industrial fabrication industry. In particular, welders are responsible for joining metal pieces into one using welding techniques. 

When hiring a welder, you should look for someone knowledgeable about the position; we recommend looking for candidates with previous experience, recommendations, and certifications like the ones from the American Welding Society.

On the contrary, if you want to hire an entry-level welder and offer them on-the-job training. In such a case, the company should be able to provide a median annual pay of $47,540.

Assembler

In the U.S., there are 1.9 million assemblers and fabricators in all industries. As a company, you should set aside approximately $37,930 for each assembler if you want to give them the median pay.

The industrial fabrication qualifications for an assembler are almost the same as for welders. A high school diploma or equivalent education is, in most cases, enough. Additional certifications are generally not required but are always welcomed.

Designer

The needed qualification for a career in industrial fabrication as a designer is typically a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering. Since education requirements for industrial fabrication jobs as designers are a minimum of a university degree, the median pay for the position in 2022 was $75,910.

Also, in Craftsmen industries, we require experience in design engineering and the ability to gather and analyze data. Ultimately, because of the nature of the work in our company, we require knowledge of 3D modeling (preferably AutoCAD) and PLC programming.

Ensure you adapt the technical skills you require from the candidate to match the techniques and tools you use in your company. This is especially important for computer-aided design software (CAD).

Source: craftsmenind.com

Laser cutter operator

Our experience taught us that the most suitable candidates for laser cut operators are people with high school diplomas, that possess a great attention to detail. Optionally, you can ask for a technical certification or other type of accreditation to ensure that the operator has some experience in the job. 

Field installers

We, like most employers in the U.S., require a high school diploma or equivalent for our field installers. However, it is important to require some additional skills depending on the products the employee should install. In most cases, you should look for candidates with experience or knowledge in the field.

Mechanist

In 2022, the U.S. had 507,900 people employed as industrial machinery mechanists, with the median annual pay of mechanists being$59,470.

As a company, you should provide on-the-job training for mechanists, and it typically takes takes around one year of training to become an experienced mechanic. 

The trainees should be people who are at least 18 years old, physically capable of working and have a high school diploma or equivalent.

Painters and finishers

Other important roles in the industrial fabrication process are painters and finishers. We warmly recommend hiring someone with previous experience because the painting and finishing jobs are delicate and require precise work. 

Some skills to look for in painters include proficiency in spray painting with pressure pots and different kinds of air and electric hand tools.Regarding formal education, it is recommended for the applicant to have a high school diploma or to have undergone some additional training.

Quality control

The qualifications for a career in industrial fabrication as quality control, typically include a high school or trade school diploma. In addition, supervisory experience or another similar role is often required.

Quality control employees should possess knowlegde in mechanical and equipment troubleshooting. Additional skills include proficiency in math, the ability to use different mechanical measuring devices, and the capacity to analyze and solve problems quickly.

Physical skills needed in industrial fabrication careers

Most industrial fabrication careers require certain physical skills. Almost every position is dynamic and requires constantly moving around and sometimes even lifting heavy tools and materials.

Additional requirements

At Craftsmen Industries, we provide internal testing for some of the candidates. This is a great way if you want to ensure the person you are considering for the role is capable of executing the job successfully and possesses the the skills to do it efficiently.

Ways To Pursue Potential Candidates to Work for You

Aside from preparing a list of qualifications you expect your future worker to have, we tend to make a second list of what we offer our future employees. From day one, our workers know their rights, work rules, job responsibilities, benefits, and possibilities to advance in their careers.

For instance, we get a lot of positive feedback because we offer each candidate an equal opportunity to showcase their abilities and skills, even during the hiring process.

Some of the things you can offer to your candidates:

• Company values
• Medical, dental and vision benefits
• Career development opportunities and continuing education
• Bonus opportunities
• Corporate culture, etc.

How to Successfully Promote Your Open Job Positions

A crucial part of the process of finding the best employees is ensuring your job post gets to the right people. Some of the best ways to advertise your job vacancies are:

• Using social media platforms
• Posting employee testimonials
• Using platforms for job seeking
• Organizing open days
• Visiting high schools and universities
• Use different types of media like short and long videos

Source: craftsmenind.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the job responsibilities of metal fabricators?

Metal fabricators have a wide palette of responsibilities. Some of the most important include interpreting engineering blueprints, marking cutting and bending lines, setting up metalwork machinery, and using different types of tools and equipment.

What skills are required for metal fabrication?

An employee in metal fabrication should have strong interpersonal and technical skills. The most common fabrication skills are blueprint reading, mechanical, match, computer skills, active listening, time management, decision-making, monitoring, and assessment skills.

Conclusion

By knowing the needed qualifications for a career in industrial fabrication, your company will be one step closer to improving the quality of the final products. All employees should have exceptional interpersonal skills, proper education, and willingness to work.

As a company that has been in the industry for a long time, we have learned that investing in lifelong learning and constantly building a healthy working environment is equally important. Last but not least, following the industry trends and investing in new machinery is a key to success.