If you enjoy working with metal and seeing how it can be shaped into something new, metal fabrication may be a viable career path for you. Warehouse operations specialists spend a lot of their time welding and shaping metal to meet blueprints and other specifications. If that kind of work piques your interest, keep reading to learn more.

The Job: What Does a Warehouse Operations Specialist Do?

Warehouse operations specialists in commercial or industrial settings are the key personnel in charge of measuring, cutting, positioning, and shaping various kinds of metal. They work in the manufacturing sector in plants and factories, doing work on everything from raw metal to electronic devices, cars, and aircraft, adjusting and assembling according to project specifications.

Accordingly, fabricators must be able to read and understand blueprints, shop drawings, work order booklets, and other plans. With that information, they can make meticulous measurements and cut, notch, fit, and weld materials to the proper specifications. Because tools such as band saws, plasma cutters, flame cutters, shears, ring rollers, drill presses, and press brakes, may be utilized in fabrication, a fabricator must be familiar and competent with each of them. Familiarity with automated equipment and computer-based machinery is also essential.

Safety is of the utmost importance. Factory environments are full of hazards, and each employee is responsible for both his or her safety and the safety of those around them. This includes maintaining a clean and organized work area and adhering to all industry standards. All unsafe actions and conditions should be reported to the correct supervisor, and as possible, fabricators should make on-the-spot corrections to improve safety conditions. Wearing proper protective gear, especially eye- and ear protection, is essential.

Warehouse operations specialists may also play a role in finishing metal projects. To achieve proper surface texture they may de-bur and grind metal as necessary. Finished products should be checked meticulously against initial plans. While fabricators may occasionally be asked to perform other work in a project’s timeline, the staple of their workload is the welding process.

What’s the Difference Between Welding and Metal Fabrication?

Welding is the process of joining metal by applying high heat. It is one of a warehouse operations specialist’s best tools. Fabricators use welding and other metal-shaping methods, including bending and cutting. There are many different kinds of industrial welding, and the most common are MIG and TIG. While both of these methods use an electric arc and a shielding gas, they have some key differences.

MIG Welding

Metal inert gas (MIG) welding—also referred to as gas metal arc welding (GMAW)—uses either a semi- or fully automatic arc to create a weld with a consumable wire which is machine-fed to the weld area and serves as both electrode and the filler material. The shielding gas (usually a mix of 75% argon and 25% CO₂) promotes weld penetration, protects the weld, and reduces weld bead porosity.

MIG welding is more effective for joining thick or large pieces of metal. It is faster than its TIG counterpart, reducing production times and, by extension, production costs. The process is relatively easy to learn, but it is less precise than TIG welding. MIG is suitable for a wide variety of applications in welding aluminum and mild and stainless steel that require little to no cleaning and finishing.

TIG Welding

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is also known as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). Like the MIG process, TIG utilizes an arc and shielding gas, but unlike MIG, the electrode used is not consumable. Made of tungsten, the electrode is used alongside a separate consumable filler material, usually a rod which is manually fed into the weld pool. TIG is, therefore, a two-handed process.

Because the process is more involved, TIG welding is more difficult to learn and increases weld times. Precision is this type of welding’s strength and weakness, making it the better choice for working with thinner metals of a wider variety, including copper, aluminum, steel, and titanium. Because TIG is more attuned, it is the first choice of work that requires precision, such as projects in motorsport, industrial construction, and aerospace.

When deciding the trajectory of one’s career, there are many factors to consider. Prospective job hunters must look at personal interest levels, the outlook of different industries, education and training requirements, and available benefits. While this process can be overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be. Those interested in metal and a compelling career path full of variety, should consider one of the many, many industrial metal supply careers.

Metal Careers

Metal is the fabric of the industrial world. Its use is ubiquitous in both commercial and industrial projects, being used in the manufacture of tools, equipment, and marketable products. For those who enjoy working with their hands, there are many metal careers to choose from. 

Laborers, craftsmen, fabricators, finishers, assemblers, furnace operators, and casting managers take different roles in processing raw metals like iron (and steel, an alloy of iron and carbon), aluminum, copper, zinc, nickel, and tin. Each of these metal casting foundry jobs offer different opportunities in processing, shaping, and crafting industrial metal in ways that have commercial or industrial applications.

For those who have an interest in the industry with a less hands-on approach, there are both metal sales careers and positions in customer service. These let employees remain close to the interesting casting and forging processes while contributing in other ways. For those who enjoy management, career options in the metal supply chain may be a better fit. 

Industrial Metal Supply Careers

Not everyone who works in the industrial metal industry welds or cuts all day long. Industrial metal supply careers are on the rise. What is a supply chain career, one may ask? Though the specifics of the answer vary between industries and institutions, the general premise is the same. Those who work in supply chain management oversee all aspects of a product’s inception, manufacture, and distribution.

The supply chain manager especially is responsible for coordinating, organizing, and managing all of the logistics involved in both the production and distribution processes of a company’s goods or services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes the work as overseeing the entire life cycle of a given product.

What Careers Are in Supply Chain Management

Industrial metal supply careers have a little something for everyone. To oversee production from beginning to end, there are management opportunities in logistics, purchasing, operations, procurement, and distribution. To streamline critical processes, companies often hire analysts over elements like operations research, procurement, and general business structuring. Project managers supervise specific projects, and supply chain managers ensure the whole system flows smoothly.

Where Do Supply Chain Managers Work?

According to the BLS, supply chain careers are the most rapidly growing in the country. Companies and other organizations recognize the significant benefit they provide, so job hunters are likely to find positions at any major institution. Some of the leading companies in the field are moguls like Apple, Amazon, Intel, General Electric, Procter & Gamble, and even the United States Air Force.

Why a Career in Supply Chain?

Promising Prospects

As mentioned above, supply chain careers—especially industrial metal supply careers—are sweeping the job market. The industry is on a rapid rise, so labor is in demand and candidates are likely to be successful. The outlook for supply chain jobs is increasing at twice the rate of other United States employment opportunities.

Because the field is so multifaceted and the work has so much variety available, career growth both laterally and vertically is available. This kind of work is engaging, interesting, and full of new challenges and learning opportunities. Employees start with salaries around $60,000 at entry level, and median compensation ranges from $82,000 to $90,000.

Essential Work

The work that supply chain management does is critical to the success of an operation. People in these careers make sure a product’s life cycle—including acquisition, distribution, allocation, and delivery—runs smoothly and within the prescribed timetable. The skills and expertise required make it possible for everyone else to do their work. To be so integral to a company’s success can be incredibly rewarding.

Resilient Industry

Again, supply chain work is on the rise. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 57% of United States employees lost their jobs and businesses experienced global shortages they have still not recovered from. During the height of the pandemic confusion, 95% of supply chain employees kept their jobs, and 25% of that group even received promotions.

Metal Supply Careers with Norfolk Iron and Metal

Norfolk Iron and Metal began in 1908 as a small hide and scrap metal company. More than a century later, we stand as one of the industry’s largest and most advanced carbon steel providers. Our stock boasts of more than 3,000 items, and production is overseen by capable supply chain management. 

We also offer many services, including press braking, tube and flat laser, plasma cutting, temper mill, shear cutting, and shot blasting, all of which needs to be performed by qualified professionals. To join the Norfolk team is to join the premiere metal work force in the nation. If you are considering any industrial metal supply careers, come see how Norfolk Iron and Metal needs you.