Posted by Aubrey Davis on | Comments Off on Navigating Tariffs in the Metal Industry
Navigating Tariffs in the Metal Industry
The constant flux of tariff regulations is causing uncertainties within the sheet metal manufacturing industry. These changes can impact businesses through increased costs and supply chain delays.
At Tedco, we are dedicated to giving our customers access to metal supplier monthly trend reports to understand how we are navigating tariffs in the metal industry, while maintaining high-quality parts, quick lead times, and precision consistency throughout this changing landscape.
Why Tariff Alleviation Matters in Sheet Metal Fabrication
Tariff mitigation affects companies heavily relying on international materials, leading to price surges and production slowdowns. While the worst-case tariff scenarios seem to have been avoided, the policies are still unstable, causing ripple effects across the global material market.
North American Stainless has introduced a tariff-like surcharge for May shipments, with potential fees included through July. With continued uncertainties, there are talks that other mills may follow, like Constellium, which has also implemented a tariff-related surcharge. This remains a trend to watch, as well as incentives to reshore manufacturing, which will likely increase.
Tariff Implications on Planning and Purchasing Materials
Despite policy shifts, demand is steady for now. As expected, imported materials are becoming less attractive while companies are looking for domestic producers to help avoid fees. Many remain cautious, buying far more conservatively, stocking only what they need for in-house jobs, and rethinking their sourcing strategies. While depot inventory is thinning, perhaps an indicator of future lead-time increases. Supply chain planning and purchasing strategies remain critical.
Metal Market Landscape as of Now*
May 11, 2025: The administration reduced tariffs to 30% after previously increasing tariffs on international imports to as high as 145%. This means a return to slightly calmer waters.
Aluminum, copper, and nickel had tumbled 15-20% in the previous weeks but have now rebounded by roughly 10-15%.
Aluminum- After plunging in early April to nearly $1.05/lb, prices have rebounded to the $1.10 range. This is due to a surge of pre-tariff Aluminum that flooded the U.S. market late last year, creating a temporary buffer that is still working its way through the system. We will see Midwest premiums creep up slowly in the coming months.
Nickel- Pricing is stabilizing around $7/lb; this range is now acting as the natural floor, especially as Indonesia raises royalties on nickel and tin mining.
Steel- Particularly for hot-rolled coil steel, prices are remaining steady at around $900/ton, showing less volatility than other metals. While carbon steel producers like Cleveland-Cliffs are taking capacity offline to remain efficient, possibly triggering a price floor in the coming months.
Our company’s approach to navigating tariffs in the metal industry is with resilience, transparency to our valued customers, andsmart purchasing strategies to maintain our precision quality products, fair pricing, and efficient lead times. We plan on staying vigilant on market updates to remain ahead of the material trends and keep pricing accurate.
We will be strategic when it comes to inventory planning, buying materials conservatively. And maintaining close relationships with our primary suppliers to ensure a transparent supply chain to reduce price spikes.
Tedco also sources domestically, giving us tighter control over costs, delivery, and turnaround times.
Want to know how Tedco can support your next project?- Contact us to learn more about our approach to risk management, precision fabrication, and how we are navigating tariffs in the metal industry.
Posted by Aubrey Davis on | Comments Off on Fabrication Welding Assembly Makes Tedco a One-Stop Shop
Our Start as a Fabrication Welding Shop Sets Us Apart
Not all metal manufacturers offer fabrication welding assembly. This is the process of joining metal components together through various welding techniques to produce the final project. We started with just a couple of machines and a welding department, and have only advanced over time in expertise. This provides our customers with a one-stop shop experience that saves time and money while producing precision welding services. Let’s expand on what fabrication welding encompasses and our shop’s welding department capabilities.
What is Metal Fabrication Welding?
Tedco’s first welding department from 1989.
Welding is a crucial part of many metal fabrication projects, described as two or more pieces of material joined together by melting the edges to one another, often by adding filler material to create a stronger and permanent bond. Fabrication Welding relies on intense heat and a steady hand for the most precise application.
Fabrication welding includes a range of techniques, each with their own unique advantages. These include Arc welding, MIG welding, TIG welding, spot welding, and the newest technique on the market, laser welding.
Arc Welding- Materials are fused together using heat generated by an electric arc. This process is cost-effective but takes a skilled operator.
MIG Welding- An electric arc is created between a continuously fed metal wire electrode and the metal workpiece. We use a shielding gas, typically argon, to protect the weld from atmospheric contamination. The advantages are quick and easy to learn, speed, making it suitable for bulk production, and versatility. We typically use weld machines by Lincoln Electric.
TIG Welding- Process using a non-consumable tungsten electrode and inert gas to create a weld. Unlike MIG, the tungsten electrode does not melt and becomes part of the weld. TIG offers precise control for delicate applications.
Spot Welding- A type of resistance welding that uses pressure and a passing electric current to join material at localized spots. This technique is quick and easy with little heat distortion, but small localized spots are more likely to break welds.
The LightWELDXR
Laser Welding- Joins materials together using a focused high-intensity laser beam to melt and fuse them, particularly used for thin materials. This process is highly precise and fast, but the equipment’s starting costs are higher than other welding machines. We use the LaserWELDXR made by IPGPhotonics.
Our shop has the capabilities and equipment for all fabrication welding types and techniques. Tedco is a one-stop shop for metal fabrication and welding assembly. This gives customers the option to choose whichever welding application works best for their metal fabrication needs.
What advantages does our in-house fabrication welding offer in project assembly?
Welding is a critical step in the assembly of metal fabrication projects. During the process, smaller metal components are joined to form a unified structure, creating strong and durable connections between parts, ensuring the integrity and functionality of the final product.
Using our in-house welding department minimizes the need to move parts between vendors, streamlining production to keep costs manageable. This also leads to faster turnaround times and higher responsiveness to changing project needs. Projects are consistent in quality, and more flexibility is obtainable through reliable communication.
In-house welding assembly also facilitates customization, allowing for existing structures to be repaired or modified to meet customer’s needs. Often, we see metal electrical boxes bought wholesale, then we modify them for certain applications or plug-ins, contributing to the adaptability of customized designs.
We are a One-Stop Shop
Tedco Precision Sheet Metal is the only place you’ll need to fabricate your upcoming projects. Along with our metal machining and fabrication capabilities, we offer welding assembly and post-production services, including expert support, quality control, and project management. We also prides itself on value-added services such as our network of outside finishing vendors and our fleet delivery options.
We have been a trustworthy source for sheet metal fabrication needs for various industries and also local companies for over 35 years. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we especially aim to provide expert communication and to ensure project goals are accomplished.
Posted by rpmdevelopers@thomasnet.com on | Comments Off on Precision Sheet Metal Projects in 2024 Using the Amada ENSIS Fiber Laser
Every project that comes through TEDCO starts with the Amada ENSIS Fiber Laser. Its efficiency is unmatched, and the rapid speed at which parts can be manufactured provides a competitive advantage for medical, aerospace, semiconductor, and agriculture industries—these industries, complex machinery and equipment, proving that time is of the essence.
Prototyping Capabilities
Fast prototyping in these sectors is crucial to producing equipment that rivals competitors, so the quick setups and high-speed capabilities of the ENSIS Aje Fiber Laser are beneficial for getting products to market first.
Our company has decades of prototyping experience, from first runs to revisions. Our experts will meet in person to discuss your project objectives and ensure its correct execution.
Examples of quick-turn prototypes that TEDCO has made using our Amada ENSIS Fiber Laser include components for an aluminum .125 structure for an energy company. For this project, revisions were made once before the perfect fit was found. A prototype that fulfilled our customer’s requirements on the first run was a stainless steel .135 conveyor adjustment bracket engineered by an agriculture facility for an existing machine. We always strive to meet our customers’ needs, when they requested the quickest turnaround possible, we did it in record time.
Bulk Production
Once prototypes are finalized, we can swiftly begin bulk production. The fiber laser’s automated manufacturing capabilities contribute to quicker lead times and enhanced product quality, allowing the assembly line to move as efficiently as possible. This allows you to complete your projects quicker than our competitors. In 2024, our company produced numerous parts for the agriculture industry that must be completed promptly for specific harvesting seasons and trade shows. The Amada ENSIS Fiber Laser was crucial in meeting those deadline specifications.
After requesting a part priority list to ensure the needed items would be delivered quickly and the first off the assembly line, our shop got to work on production. This project involved over 75 electrical control boxes with lids made from .09 aluminum.
Specialized Materials
The Amada Fiber Laser has proven to be an essential asset to the TEDCO shop, from prototyping and bulk production to specialty materials. A local engineering company that specializes in laser scanning products frequently requests these outer skins for furnace units made from rigid aluminum.
The Amada ENSIS Aje Fiber Laser can cut this material without damaging the outer ridges, keeping the aesthetics as the customer desires.
The fiber laser has consistently met the challenges of any project TEDCO has undertaken. We are optimistic that this machine will enhance production quality and cost efficiency for many years.
Request more information on our shop’s capabilities for your upcoming precision sheet metal fabrication projects.
The CNC turret punch presses limited production to thinner materials and simpler designs. They also required changing punches between jobs, and their design capabilities were only as unique as the type of tooling available.
The punch press was once an economical option for simple sheet metal cutting tasks, but it was the heart of our company’s shop operations. It even inspired the TEDCO holiday card in 2000. Soon enough, we were advancing and eager to take on more intricate jobs with reduced setup times.
Amada ENSIS Aje Fiber Laser
The Amada ENSIS was the best option moving forward, with its standard features showing improvements to production speeds and cost-effectiveness, offering greater flexibility in cutting complex shapes and designs with fewer tooling limitations than the punches.
The Amada 6kW ENSIS technology allows continuous variable laser beam control, processing thin-to-thick material with no lens change or additional setup.
WAC System
This machine also came equipped with a water assist cutting (WAC) System to cool the material. In contrast, laser cutting reduced heat build-up and heat distortion to material, a disadvantage we worked with when using the punches.
This was made for our company and manufacturers, who require high-speed cutting capabilities of a fiber laser with thick material cutting of a CO2 laser, and three times more energy efficiency.
OASC Series Screw Compressor Addition
The ENSIS Fiber Laser’s graphic interface controls also proved very user-friendly, and training was a breeze. To reduce energy and operating costs even further, we installed an OASC Series Screw Compressor in 2022 to generate the nitrogen necessary for the fiber laser to function.
The addition of the compressor provides a reliable air supply, saving on a lifetime of costs and 35% of energy thanks to its Poly-T-tech belt, pulley connections, and NEMA TEFC Premium engine.
Energy Optimization Equals Shop Efficiency
This eliminates the time spent waiting for nitrogen deliveries, which, depending on the day of the week and available supply, could halt the assembly line for hours or, worse case, 48 hours. The OASC Compressor provides in-house nitrogen, improving shop efficiency by producing steady air flow and constant pressure so energy loss due to loading and unloading is avoidable.
Production does not slow down in better hopes of meeting customer needs within their requested timelines with less energy used, which is a win-win.
The Amada ENSIS Aje Fiber Laser paired with the OASC Series Compressor was an excellent investment for our company and a match made in precision sheet metal fabrication heaven. Whether it is less heat distortion on your part edges or the convenience of a quicker turnaround time, our machinery has the capabilities necessary to complete your goals.
Our company has decades of 
Once prototypes are finalized, we can swiftly begin bulk production. The fiber laser’s automated manufacturing capabilities contribute to quicker lead times and enhanced product quality, allowing the assembly line to move as efficiently as possible. This allows you to complete your projects quicker than our competitors. In 2024, our company produced numerous parts for the agriculture industry that must be completed promptly for specific harvesting seasons and trade shows. The Amada ENSIS Fiber Laser was crucial in meeting those deadline specifications.
The Amada Fiber Laser has proven to be an essential asset to the TEDCO shop, from prototyping and bulk production to specialty materials. A local engineering company that specializes in laser scanning products frequently requests these outer skins for furnace units made from rigid aluminum.
Our company had been punching parts using an 
This machine also came equipped with a 
The ENSIS Fiber Laser’s graphic interface controls also proved very user-friendly, and training was a breeze. To reduce energy and operating costs even further, we installed an