HCE Foodservice Equipment’s operations director Colin Smith discusses the dealer’s thinking when it comes to choosing fabrication for projects.
Bespoke fabrication is invariably a key part of every commercial bar and kitchen project. But how do distributors manage this aspect of a scheme if they rely on third party fabricators, and what’s the secret to picking the right partner? One of the UK’s top kitchen houses, HCE Foodservice Equipment, shares its approach for ensuring fantastic fabrication.
As a business that aspires to offer a complete and comprehensive service when it comes to project management, fabrication is an integral part of the equation for Hampshire-based HCE Foodservice Equipment.
Over a period of many years, spanning hundreds of projects, the company has fine-tuned the steps that need to be taken to make sure that everything is on point.
For Colin Smith, operations director at HCE, the good news is that there is still a healthy number of fabricators operating in the market – and that affords it plenty of choice when making a decision.
“From an HCE perspective, the bespoke fabrication market in the UK is still really strong,” he says. “We have a good pool of independent, smaller companies that we utilise and will select these depending on the project and skills required.
“We don’t believe that one size fits all when it comes to working with fabricators – each will have their own strengths and specialisms, and our customers rely on us to choose the best one for their project, depending on quality, location, budget, etcetera. It is very much horses for courses.”
So what qualities does HCE look for when choosing a fabrication company to work with? “One of the key attributes for HCE, aside from attention to detail and understanding the pressures that we are often under working with the main contractor, is how well the fabricator communicates throughout the project.
“This means developing a strong relationship and them having the flexibility to adapt and innovate as the project progresses. Having an understanding of what can often be an elongated approval process and being able to adapt to the timelines are also extremely valuable.”
HCE’s policy when it is planning a kitchen design is to select fabricators on a project by project basis. It looks favourably on businesses that will help evolve and develop the initial design, and which can bring their expertise to the table in order to enhance the finished projects while remaining in budget.
“We also require fabricators that understand the job, so this quite often means selecting a different fabricator depending on the project specification and requirements,” says Smith.
When it comes to working with third party fabricators, Smith says the biggest challenge is trying to ensure that the highest standards possible are upheld as it moves from one scheme to the next.
“The consistency of manufacturing quality can vary dramatically from project to project, which can lead to inconsistencies in fabrications. This is one of the biggest challenges HCE faces when it comes to kitchen fabrication.
“We often find that while some fabricators excel in precision and attention to detail, others can fall short, which unless monitored could impact the overall quality and final outcome of the project,” he concludes.
Read the article by Andrew Seymour here.