Here’s a story that’ll make any manufacturer shudder: Nissan recently recalled 444,000 vehicles because of defective engine bearings. The result? Complete engine failures, metal debris in oil pans, and vehicles losing power while driving. Customers reported hearing “knocking noises” before their engines died completely.
But it gets worse — there is now an open legal battle against Nissan. And it’s not the only example where Nissan have had to recall their cars recently.
Here’s the thing: the cost of a rushed part or product isn’t just the recall or the lost sales — it’s the reputation damage that follows when companies prioritize speed over quality. It’s a costly mistake, yet it keeps happening across the industry. Why? Because the pressure to deliver faster is relentless, and most companies don’t know there’s a better way. Here’s how to avoid getting caught in the ‘speed trap.’
The Speed Trap That’s Bleeding Manufacturers Dry
Whatever business you’re in, your customers will eventually ask if you can deliver faster, cheaper, and maintain the highest quality. That’s when business owners always joke that you inevitably end up with a “You-pick-two-menu.”
Here are the typical scenarios:
- Good and Fast: High-quality, timely delivery, but at a higher cost.
- Good and Cheap: High-quality, low-cost, but with a longer delivery time.
- Fast and Cheap: Quick delivery, low cost, but with terrible quality.
- Good, Fast, and Cheap: Not possible unless you’re trying to bankrupt a business.
But the “you-pick-two-menu” just doesn’t work for us.
First, we pride ourselves on our delivery times. We deliver parts as fast as we can and not a moment later. But even if our clients paid us more, it’s not always possible to be faster — especially when it’s a larger order. We do our best to give honest lead times to our customers based on a variety of factors: getting the parts on time, making sure we have capacity, scheduling the project, fabricating the part with laser precision, and having it pass quality control. Every shop has its limits — including ours. We’re just not afraid to be upfront about it.
We don’t want to be one of those companies that overpromises and underdelivers.
Secondly, even if we could fabricate parts faster and cheaper, we would never compromise on quality. One small part or component can jeopardize an entire project for our customers — and their customers. The domino effect is brutal:
- Rush jobs = corner cutting = defects
- Defects = rework = delays
- Delays = expedited shipping = higher costs
- Higher costs = unhappy customers = lower margins + one very angry CFO
We wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Especially when the American Society of Quality reports that “the average manufacturer will have “true quality-related costs as high as 15-20% of sales revenue”. Some go as high as 40% of total operations. That means a $10 million company loses about $2 million to poor quality parts every year — money that could have been saved by not compromising on quality earlier in the process, whether with your fabrication partner or your internal operations.
The Plascore Principle: How Successful Companies Think Different
Plascore, Inc. manufactures honeycomb products for commercial and aerospace aircraft. When they needed six large heat form fixtures for jet engine nacelles, they had a problem: multiple companies had already failed on this exact project.
Instead of finding the fastest bidder, they partnered with us because they knew the one thing we wouldn’t compromise is quality. They needed a partner who wouldn’t just build something to spec. They needed a partner who asked different questions:
- What material type will actually work long-term?
- Which welding approach ensures vacuum-tight seals?
- How do we achieve near-perfect machining accuracy?
- What could go wrong, and how do we prevent it?
The result? 50% reduction in development time and thousands saved on material costs — because they solved the problem right the first time instead of fixing it later.
We weren’t the fastest. But we were the right partner for the job.
The partnership with Impact Fab has allowed us to solve complex problems with reasonable solutions that work for both parties. They stand by their commitment to achieving their customer’s goals and staying committed to the lead times without sacrificing quality.
-Ryan Demeester
Business Unit Manager, Plascore, Inc.
How to Avoid the Wrong Fabrication Partner
Here’s a pro-tip when looking for a fabrication partner: look for the problem-solvers, not the order-takers.
Here’s what you don’t want: Customer sends a drawing. They build what’s on the drawing. They ship it fast. They collect payment. Done. But what if the drawing has problems? What if the material choice won’t work in the real world? What if the tolerances are impossible to achieve consistently?
Rush fabricators don’t ask these questions. They just build what you ordered and let you discover the problems later.
Quality-first fabricators, on the other hand, are solutions providers. They look at your project holistically. They consider material selection, manufacturability, potential failure points, and long-term performance. This takes more time upfront. It also prevents the expensive disasters that derail your entire production schedule.
Here are some red flags to help you avoid partnering with the wrong fabricator:
- Their delivery promises seem too good to be true
- They don’t mention quality control procedures
- They don’t discuss potential challenges with your design
- They can’t provide references from long-term clients
- They compete primarily on price and speed
The Bottom Line: Stop Paying the Speed Tax
You don’t choose between quality and speed. Choose fabricators who understand that quality is the fastest path to your goals. Every day you stick with rush-job fabricators, you’re paying an invisible tax:
- An average of 20% of sales revenue lost to poor quality costs
- Production delays from fixing preventable problems
- Customer dissatisfaction from products that don’t perform
- Opportunity costs from dealing with crises instead of growing your business
When Plascore needed those jet engine fixtures, they didn’t want the fastest fabricator. They wanted the fabricator who could solve the problem that had stumped everyone else.
The manufacturers who recognize this are quietly building competitive advantages while their peers chase the mirage of cheap speed.
The question isn’t whether you can afford quality-first fabrication. The question is whether you can afford to keep paying the speed tax.
If you want to learn more about our approach to high quality parts and our commitment to meeting our delivery times, we invite you to come see for yourself.
Book a time to tour our shop floor in Holland. Watch our team transform raw materials into precision components using our complete fabrication capabilities including water jet, laser cutting, and CNC machines.