Stop Guessing on Weld Times and Material Yields Track KPIs That Actually Drive Your Shop's Efficiency
You're juggling spreadsheets from the shop floor to the office, losing hours chasing down why a batch of stainless steel parts came in 15% over budget. Our custom dashboards pull it all together, giving you real-time visibility into production metrics that let you spot bottlenecks before they tank your margins.
Join 250+ fabrication shops with 30% faster production decisions
The "Shop Floor Silo" Problem
Manual Tracking of Weld Cycles on MIG/TIG Machines Eating Into Production Hours
Material Inventory Discrepancies in Steel and Aluminum Stock Leading to Costly Overruns
Unseen Downtime on CNC Plasma Cutters and Mills Delaying Custom Structural Orders
Fragmented Quality Control Data from Ultrasonic Testing Causing Scrap Rate Spikes in Welded Assemblies
Project Delays from Poor Visibility into Subcontractor Deliveries of Pre-Fab Beams and Panels
Inaccurate Labor Costing for Pipefitters and Fabricators Throwing Off Bid Accuracy on Structural Steel Jobs
Build Visibility Into Your Fabrication Workflow
We've engineered KPI platforms for over 50 fabrication shops, integrating shop floor sensors with ERP systems to deliver field-tested insights that scale with your growth.
Why Choose Us
Let's be honest, running a custom fab shop means you're constantly fighting data that's scattered like parts on a cluttered bench. Here's the thing: our custom dashboards at AIQ Labs change that. We build tailored, web-based platforms that connect your CNC software, inventory trackers, and time clocks into one unified view. No more flying blind on whether that aluminum run is hitting yield targets or if a welder's overtime is blowing your budget. You're probably thinking, 'We've tried off-the-shelf tools, and they don't fit our custom work.' That's why we code from the ground up, ensuring every KPI—from cycle times to defect rates—feeds into actionable alerts. It's like having a digital foreman that never sleeps, spotting issues before they cascade into delays. And as your shop scales to handle bigger contracts, our enterprise-grade architecture grows with you, handling unlimited data streams without breaking a sweat.
What Makes Us Different:
Unlock Clear Visibility and Smarter Decisions
Slash Production Waste with Precise Yield Tracking
Slash Production Waste with Precise Yield Tracking: Imagine seeing exactly where your steel sheets are vanishing during plasma cutting—our dashboards highlight variances in real-time, helping fab shops like yours reduce scrap by up to 25% on structural components. No more guessing; just data that ties directly to your bottom line, letting you bid more competitively on custom runs within 6-8 week project cycles.
Accelerate On-Time Deliveries by Catching Bottlenecks Early
Accelerate On-Time Deliveries by Catching Bottlenecks Early: Field-tested in high-volume steel fabrication environments, our KPI tracking flags machine idle time on CNC mills or supplier delays in rebar deliveries instantly. One client cut their late orders from 18% to under 5% in three months, freeing up cash flow and earning repeat business from general contractors who value reliability on commercial builds.
Optimize Labor Costs Without Micromanaging Your Crew
Optimize Labor Costs Without Micromanaging Your Crew: Track actual hours against job estimates across welding bays and assembly lines for tasks like beam erection. This visibility empowers informed decisions, like reallocating pipefitters to high-priority custom jobs, potentially saving 15-20% on overtime while maintaining shop morale during peak construction seasons.
What Clients Say
"Before AIQ's dashboard, we were buried in Excel sheets trying to figure out why our titanium tubing fab runs for aerospace brackets were coming in hot on costs—yield rates were all over the place. Now, we see live metrics from our laser cutters, and we've trimmed waste by 22% in the last quarter on those high-precision jobs— that's real money back in our pockets without adding headcount or slowing down deliveries."
Mike Harlan
Shop Manager at Precision Metal Works, specializing in aerospace components
"Our old system couldn't handle the flux from custom orders for structural steel frames; delays on CNC router setups were killing us on deadlines for commercial site installs. The KPI platform they built integrates our machine logs seamlessly with ERP data, and we've hit 95% on-time delivery for the first time in years—it's like the shop runs itself better during those tight 4-week fab cycles."
Sara Lopez
Operations Director at FabTech Solutions, focused on commercial construction fabrication
"Tracking subcontractor parts for galvanized fittings was a nightmare—always short or late, derailing our piping assemblies for industrial plants. With the real-time alerts from their custom setup tied to our inventory scans, we caught a delivery issue two days early last month on a major HVAC job, saving a $15K rush fee and keeping the project on track. Straightforward and effective; no fluff, just results."
Tom Reilly
Production Lead at Custom Alloy Crafters, handling industrial piping systems
Simple 3-Step Process
Discovery and KPI Mapping
We dive into your shop's workflow, identifying key metrics like cycle times and defect rates, then map them to a custom dashboard blueprint tailored to your fabrication needs.
System Integration and Build
Our engineers connect your existing tools— from ERP to shop sensors—building a scalable platform that delivers real-time data without disrupting daily operations.
Testing, Training, and Launch
We run field tests on your floor, train your team on using the insights, and launch with ongoing support to ensure it scales as your shop grows.
Why We're Different
What's Included
Common Questions
How does this KPI platform integrate with our existing CNC and ERP systems?
We start by assessing your setup—say, your Haas CNC machines feeding into Epicor ERP. Our team builds secure, two-way API connections that pull live data like runtime hours or inventory levels without manual uploads. It's custom-coded to handle the quirks of fabrication software, ensuring no downtime during integration. Shops typically see it up and running in 4-6 weeks, with full data flow from day one. This eliminates silos, giving you a single view of production metrics that updates in real-time, so you can react to a jammed spindle or low stock alert instantly. We've done this for dozens of custom fab operations, always prioritizing minimal disruption to your workflow.
What specific KPIs can we track for a custom fabrication shop?
Tailored to your needs, we focus on fab essentials like weld efficiency (time per joint), material yield (actual vs. expected usage), machine OEE (overall equipment effectiveness), scrap rates by material type, and on-time completion for custom orders. For example, if you're doing aluminum extrusions, we can track defect percentages per batch. These aren't generic metrics; we map them to your processes, like monitoring plasma cutter uptime during high-volume runs. The dashboard visualizes trends over time, helping you spot patterns—maybe Friday shifts yield 10% more waste—and act on them. It's all about actionable insights that tie directly to your shop's profitability and scalability.
How scalable is this for a growing fabrication business?
Built on enterprise architecture, our platforms handle growth seamlessly—from tracking 50 jobs a month to 500 without performance dips. We use robust frameworks that scale data processing as your shop expands, say, adding new welding bays or taking on larger contracts. No limits on users or data volume; it's designed for SMBs hitting that $5M-$20M revenue wall. One client scaled from 20 to 80 employees, and their dashboard just kept delivering faster insights without extra costs. We also future-proof it with modular add-ons, like AI forecasting for material needs, so you're not locked into a rigid system as demands evolve.
What's the ROI timeline for implementing these custom dashboards?
Most fabrication shops see payback in 3-6 months through wins like 15-25% reduced material waste or 20% less overtime from better labor tracking. Take a typical custom metal shop: if you're losing $10K monthly on overruns, our KPIs help pinpoint and cut that by half right away. We base this on real cases— one partner tracked a 18% efficiency boost in Q1 after launch, directly boosting margins on stainless steel jobs. It's ROI-driven from the start, with clear metrics we monitor together. No vague promises; we align it to your specific bottlenecks, like inconsistent yields on custom prototypes.
Do you provide training for our shop team to use the dashboard?
Absolutely—training is key for adoption in a hands-on environment like fabrication. We offer on-site or virtual sessions tailored to roles: foremen learn to monitor live KPIs on mobile, while managers get deep dives into analytics. It's practical, using your real data examples, like reviewing a recent batch's yield report. Sessions last 2-4 hours, with follow-up support for the first month to iron out any kinks. We've found this ensures 90% team buy-in quickly, turning the dashboard into a daily tool rather than shelfware. Plus, it's built intuitively—no tech degree needed—so your crew can focus on fab work, not fighting software.
How secure is the data in this KPI tracking system for sensitive fab projects?
Security is non-negotiable in custom fabrication, where IP like proprietary designs is at stake. We use end-to-end encryption, role-based access (e.g., welders see only their bay's metrics), and compliance with standards like ISO 9001. Data stays on your owned servers or secure clouds, with audit trails for every access. For shops handling defense contracts, we add extra layers like SOC 2 compliance. It's battle-tested; no breaches in our deployments. This means you get peace of mind while tracking sensitive KPIs, like quality specs on aerospace parts, without risking leaks.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.