Starting out with six employees, 3Metals has been in business for five years and has grown steadily since, now employing 32-plus members of staff at its facility in Yatala, Queensland.
Primarily servicing the construction industry, 3Metals specialises in commercial buildings and domestic buildings, along with manufacturing and mining. The company offers a range of laser cutting, CNC pressing, robotic welding and fabrication services.
Director Michael Fletcher explains that 3Metals places prime importance on keeping abreast of new technology, because advanced machinery enables the company to remain efficient, providing the best customer experience possible in terms of turnaround time, product and service. While price is always a big driver in customer decision making, the team at 3Metals don’t believe in being the cheapest.
“We believe in giving the right service at the right price,” says Fletcher. “Our service encompasses a decent turnaround time and our products are manufactured to excellent quality. We don’t sacrifice quality for price, nor do we use cheap materials.”
3Metals prides itself on supporting Aussies, using local supplies and raw materials. As Fletcher says: “It’s important to us that we support the Aussie economy and source all materials locally, as we believe that it enhances our product offering and services to our customers.”
Laser is the core of the business, according to Fletcher, the first process the company employs before any other value is added to a component. Therefore it’s crucial that 3Metals use the best quality machinery possible.
“If the laser breaks down, it affects downstream value-added processes,” says Fletcher. “We need reliable machinery at the source, which makes a fabricator’s job much easier down the line.”
3Metals also offers a range of solutions to customers in design, with a great deal of recent investment in the design team. With a recent purchase of a TRUMPF TruBend 5130 press brake, the sheet metal experts can now focus on designs for customers, adding more folds and presses to achieve the same goal but at a cheaper price. The press brake also offers more accurate folding and designing of complex parts.
Along with the TruBend 5130, 3Metals also purchased a KUKA robotic welder to enable it to be competitive on higher-volume welding assemblies, and a TRUMPF 5030 6kW laser, choosing to remain with a CO2 laser, which allows it to offer top-quality parts in stainless steel and aluminium.
Having used TRUMPF machinery for more than 20 years, Fletcher expolains why he favours this brand over the competition.
“It’s the best you can buy,” he says. “It’s the most reliable brand out there, plus it’s backed up by Headland service. We chose KUKA because it’s the best robotic brand available – we’ve used others in the past but German technology is unbeatable.”
This combination of machinery also offers 3Metals the possibility of significant further expansion, as its TRUMPF 5030 laser can be run 24/7, enabling the company more capacity to sell. Requiring less manual operation, errors are eliminated, which means less downtime. Meanwhile a reliable press brake doesn’t produce rejects and doesn’t require multiple processes to be carried out, resulting in a quick, efficient factory.
“Headland’s service team in Queensland are outstanding,” adds Fletcher. “Focused, willing to help, and informative, I would recommend them to anyone. Their reliable service and support means that we can continue to provide the best customer experience possible.”