The American economy runs on products that most people overlook all the time. That does not make them any less important. Cars, electronics, and oil are what people tend to think of as important – items they use often, are heavily marketed, or are mentioned on the news. People rarely think about the kinds of manufactured goods that are used to build, display, clean, or maintain other goods, but they are equally vital. If you’ve ever wondered how fabricated products – the kind we produce in house at D+M Metal – support the larger economy and keep it running, read on.
One of the reasons that fabricated or welded products are often overlooked is that they often are parts of larger products that we more easily recognize. D+M Metal Products does metal fabrication which is “the process of building machines and structures from raw metal materials…[which] includes cutting, burning, welding, machining, forming, and assembly to create the final product.” We often manufacture parts instead of salable products, but the parts we make are necessary for those products to exist or operate.
For example, D+M Metal makes components for Grand Rapids furniture companies like NuCraft Furniture. They manufacture tables and chairs, and we make the housing for table bases which will be powder coated or plated before they will be attached to their corresponding table tops. We also make backs for barstools and tubing for chairs made by Grand Rapids Chair. We fabricate the back of this Melissa Anne Chair, and we make the seat of the Sadie II Outdoor Chair. We fabricate the table base for their Apollo table as well.
Some of the products we manufacture that you see all of the time but probably overlook are display fixtures. Almost all stores depend on shelving and display fixtures. They display their inventory on metal shelving, and we fabricate those shelves or parts of those shelves. Warehouses also rely on fabricated storage rack systems. We make aluminum trays and metal panels for Best Buy and NAPA Auto Parts. For Target we fabricate the trim bands they use on their recycling and their mannequin displays. We make library shelving and do work for Pipp Mobile Storage Systems too. Our work can be seen all over Grand Rapids and elsewhere in the state and the nation, although it does not come with a D+M Metal Products label.
Most of the fabricated products we make would be classified as “intermediate products” instead of end products. They will be one part of a finished or end product. Companies rely on metal fabricators because it’s more efficient to subcontract certain kinds of work out to companies that specialize in certain skills. These skills – our skills – include forging, stamping, bending, forming, and machining to shape individual pieces of metal and welding and assembling them together.
If your business has a need for specific fabricated parts, call us at 616-784-0601. We would love to discuss any special needs you have and quote you a price for the work you want done. We are proud of the fabricated products we manufacture and the vital roles they play in creating other finished products and keeping the economy running.