Stop Losing Weeks to Manual Hiring in Your Shop Automate Recruiting and Cut Time-to-Hire by 50%
You're probably thinking, who has time for endless resume sorting when deadlines are piling up? Our custom AI recruiting automation saves fabrication shops like yours 15+ hours per week on hiring, turning chaotic talent searches into efficient, ROI-driven processes that keep your welders and machinists flowing without the hassle.
Join 150+ businesses with faster hires and lower turnover
The "Talent Shortage" Problem
Sifting through unqualified resumes from general job boards wastes hours when you need skilled CNC operators who can handle G-code programming for precision milling fast
Coordinating interviews around night shifts and overtime leaves your foremen frustrated and production stalled
High turnover from poor fits drains your training budget on new hires who can't handle custom weld specs like AWS D1.1 standards for structural steel
Manual tracking of applicants in spreadsheets leads to lost talent during peak fabrication seasons
Competing with bigger shops for certified fabricators means paying premiums or settling for underqualified hands who lack experience with plasma cutting or CAD modeling
Onboarding delays from paperwork pileups slow down your shop's ramp-up on new custom orders, like prepping for ASME pressure vessel fabrication
Our Custom AI Recruiting System Built for Your Fabrication Workflow
We've helped dozens of fabrication shops automate hiring, drawing from field-tested AI that understands the grit of metalwork and tight deadlines.
Why Choose Us
Let's be honest—recruiting in custom fabrication isn't like office jobs. You're hunting for folks who can read blueprints, handle plasma cutters, and thrive in a noisy shop floor. That's why we build your AI system from the ground up, integrating with your existing tools like shop management software or HR trackers. No cookie-cutter apps here. We train the AI on your specific needs, like screening for MIG welding certs or experience with aluminum extrusions, so it sources, screens, and schedules candidates that fit your exact workflow. Here's the thing: this isn't just automation; it's a productivity boost that frees your team to focus on what they do best—building precision parts without the hiring headache.
What Makes Us Different:
Unlock Time Savings and ROI That Hits the Bottom Line
Save 15+ Hours Weekly on Manual Screening
Save 15+ Hours Weekly on Manual Screening: Imagine ditching the stack of resumes cluttering your desk. Our AI handles the grunt work, parsing applications for key fabrication skills like sheet metal forming or robotic arm programming, including certifications in MIG/TIG welding. Shops using this report a 50% drop in time-to-hire—from 6 weeks to 3—meaning your production lines stay staffed without pulling foremen off the floor for blueprint reviews. That's real efficiency gains—hours back for quoting jobs or troubleshooting that finicky mill, potentially adding $5K in monthly output.
Cut Hiring Costs by 30% with Smarter Matches
Cut Hiring Costs by 30% with Smarter Matches: You're probably thinking, why keep overpaying for recruiters who don't get your shop's vibe? Our custom AI predicts fit based on past hires' success in similar roles, like handling high-volume custom runs with tolerances under 0.005 inches on CNC lathes. This ROI-focused approach reduces bad hires that cost thousands in retraining and lost output—think $8K per mismatched welder. One shop slashed their annual recruiting spend from $50K to $35K in just one fiscal year, all while boosting output by 20% with better-skilled teams on structural assemblies.
Boost Productivity with Faster Onboarding
Boost Productivity with Faster Onboarding: Field-tested for fabrication realities, our system automates paperwork and schedules orientations around shift rotations, integrating with tools like OSHA compliance checklists. No more delays from mismatched interviews or forgotten follow-ups on safety certifications. Result? New hires hit the ground running on day one, welding or assembling without the usual 2-week ramp-up lag on custom jigs. Efficiency gains like this can add up to 10 extra productive hours per new employee per week, directly padding your margins on those tight-deadline projects like bridge components.
What Clients Say
"We were buried under resumes for our welder positions, and it was killing our lead times on custom steel frames for commercial builds. After AIQ Labs set up the automation, we cut screening from 10 hours a week to under one. Hired two solid guys in two weeks who knew their way around TIG welding and AWS certifications right away—no training headaches, and we hit our Q3 delivery targets without overtime spikes."
Mike Harlan
Lead Welder Supervisor at Precision Fab Works, a structural steel fabricator in Ohio
"Hiring machinists during our busy season used to mean pulling my whole team off the CNCs for interviews, stalling our aluminum extrusion runs. The AI system they built sources candidates from trade networks like NTMA and even pre-screens for Haas machine experience with Fanuc controls. Saved us about $15K last year on agency fees, and our turnover dropped from 25% to 12% over six months. It's like having an extra recruiter who gets fabrication inside out."
Sarah Ruiz
Talent Acquisition Manager at Apex Metal Crafters, specializing in aerospace components
"Our shop specializes in aluminum prototypes for HVAC systems, and finding folks with that niche skill was a nightmare amid supply chain crunches. AIQ's custom setup integrated with our job board and ranked applicants by relevant projects, like SolidWorks modeling experience. We filled three spots in a month, and the new hires were productive from week one, ramping up on duct fabrication without the usual errors. Honestly, it's transformed how we scale for big orders during peak construction seasons."
Tom Becker
Production Director at Forge Innovations, a custom metal prototyping firm in Texas
Simple 3-Step Process
Discovery and Customization
We dive into your shop's hiring pain points—like sourcing for specific fabrication roles—and map out a tailored AI workflow that fits your tools and timelines.
Build and Integrate
Our engineers code the AI from scratch, training it on your data for precise candidate matching, then plug it seamlessly into your shop management system.
Deploy and Optimize
We launch with full support, monitoring performance and tweaking based on real hires, ensuring ongoing ROI as your fabrication needs evolve.
Why We're Different
What's Included
Common Questions
How does the AI know what skills to look for in fabrication candidates?
We start by auditing your current hires and job reqs—think specifics like experience with waterjet cutting or AutoCAD for prototypes. Then, we train the AI model on that data, plus industry benchmarks, so it prioritizes candidates who match your shop's needs. For instance, if you're hiring for custom stainless steel work, it'll filter for TIG welding pros with similar project histories. This custom approach means no generic mismatches; it's all tailored to cut down on interview no-shows and get you productive team members faster. We've seen shops reduce bad hires by 40% this way, saving real time and money.
Will this integrate with our existing shop management software?
Absolutely—unlike plug-and-play tools that glitch with fabrication-specific systems, we build deep, custom integrations. Whether you're on something like JobBOSS or a custom ERP, our engineers create secure APIs that pull in applicant data automatically. No more double-entry that eats into your day. For example, candidate details flow straight into your scheduling for shift assignments, keeping production humming. It's designed for the chaos of shop life, ensuring the AI works with your workflow, not against it, and scales as you add more lines or tools.
What's the timeline to get this up and running for our shop?
We aim for a quick win: initial setup takes 4-6 weeks, starting with a deep dive into your hiring process. Week one is discovery—mapping out how you recruit for roles like sheet metal fabricators. Then, we build and test the AI, integrating it by week four. Launch includes training your team, so you're automating screenings right away. Post-launch, we optimize based on the first hires. Shops often see ROI in the first month, with 10-15 hours saved weekly. It's field-tested to minimize disruption, so your fab deadlines don't slip during rollout.
How secure is the candidate data in your system?
Security is non-negotiable in recruiting, especially with sensitive resumes holding certs and project histories. We use enterprise-grade encryption and comply with standards like GDPR and CCPA, plus shop-specific needs like protecting proprietary fab designs mentioned in apps. Data stays in your owned system—no cloud rentals sharing it with third parties. Access is role-based, so only your HR lead sees full profiles. We've audited this for manufacturing clients, ensuring no breaches even during high-volume hiring. It's built robust, like your best weld, to protect your talent pipeline without the worry.
Can this scale if our fabrication shop grows or takes on more custom projects?
Yes, it's engineered for growth—starting small but scaling seamlessly as your shop expands. If you go from 20 to 50 employees, the AI adapts by learning from new hire data, improving matches for advanced roles like robotic welding programmers. We include modular updates, so adding features like multi-location sourcing for satellite fabs is straightforward. No rip-and-replace; it's a unified asset that evolves with you. Clients in similar spots have doubled their hiring volume without added costs, keeping ROI strong as projects ramp up and talent demands shift.
What if the AI misses a great candidate who doesn't fit the usual profile?
Our system is smart but not rigid—we build in human oversight loops. The AI flags top matches, but you can review and override, like promoting a candidate with unconventional experience in aerospace fab that shines for your custom needs. It learns from your feedback, refining over time to catch those hidden gems, such as a hobbyist metalworker with killer lathe skills. In practice, this hybrid approach has helped shops snag 20% more diverse talent, blending AI efficiency with your shop's intuition for who'll thrive on the floor.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.