When Your Welding Shop Calls and Says “We Can’t” Monday morning.

Call from your welder. “Listen, that order… we won’t make it by Friday. We have too much work.” Knot in your stomach. Two days ago you promised the customer the construction would be ready. Now this.

I Know That Feeling

I worked in mechanical engineering myself. I know what it’s like when you have everything arranged from sheet cutting to powder coating - and then one link fails. One welder you’ve trusted for years. He’s good. Precise. But this time he simply doesn’t have the capacity. And you? You have a customer whose construction site is standing. Who will go elsewhere next time if you’re late.

This Happens Every Day

In production, everything is optimized. Lean. 5S. Everything works like clockwork. Until someone delays. Then 10 projects stand still. 2 days. Everyone burns out. Overthinks. How to solve it? The deadline was a week away, now there are only two days left. Welding shops are usually full. Good ones are booked for months ahead. Bad ones… well, you don’t want those. And when you urgently need a welder - now, immediately - there isn’t one. Because all good welders have the same problem: too much work, not enough time.

What Most People Do (Wrong)

Panic. Someone gets the task: “Find a welder. Now.” And then? Clicking through the web. Calling. “Do you have capacity?” No. “Can you do it by Friday?” No. “Do you know anyone?” We’ll see. One day of searching. Explaining to everyone what, how. And in the end? Maybe you find someone. Maybe not. And even if you find someone - how do you know they’re good? That it won’t be even worse? One company I worked with had the same story every time. Dependent on one welder. When he was sick - catastrophe. When he had too much work - catastrophe. When his machine broke - catastrophe. Always the same pattern. Always the same panic.

There’s A Better Way

Have a backup. Plan B. Without panic.