We have already written about how to recognise a reliable contractor in general in the article on choosing a steel building manufacturer – here we focus on the difference between in-house fabrication and brokering.
Where does the price difference come from?
A middleman adds their margin to the price they pay the manufacturer, so the final amount for the investor is higher than when ordering directly – for the same structure and the same material. In addition, if a design change is needed during the project, every correction has to pass through an extra link in the chain of communication, which takes longer and increases the risk of misunderstandings between the investor, the middleman and the actual fabrication plant.
Who is responsible for quality and deadlines?
When the structure is supplied directly by the steel building manufacturer, and not by a middleman, it is clear who is responsible for the welds, the corrosion protection and keeping to the erection date. In the middleman model, responsibility is often blurred between the trading company and the fabrication plant, which in practice makes it harder to pursue claims if something goes wrong – for example, if the roof covering turns out not to meet the specification.
Completed projects as proof of in-house fabrication
The simplest way to verify is to ask for a list of completed buildings with addresses and, if possible, to visit the fabrication plant. A genuine manufacturer will have no problem showing you the production hall, machinery and the stages of fabrication, because that is their everyday business – not documentation obtained from a subcontractor. It is also worth asking about projects of a similar scale to the planned investment – a company that builds small canopies every day does not necessarily have the production capacity for a large industrial building.
Flexibility in tailoring the structure
Ordering directly from the manufacturer also gives you more freedom to modify the design at the fabrication stage – changing the column spacing or building height is easier when you talk directly to the manufacturer's design office, rather than passing comments through a middleman who has to consult the fabrication plant again. The same applies to the choice between a ready-made structure and a bespoke design – it is easier to decide when talking to the person who actually fabricates the structure.
How to verify a manufacturer before signing a contract?
It is worth asking directly: where is the structure fabricated, who employs the welders working on the order, and does the company have its own transport and erection crew, or does it subcontract these services as well? The more stages a company carries out with its own resources, the greater the control over quality and deadlines – and this translates directly into cost and peace of mind for the investor during construction.
What does the investor gain?
Apart from price, working directly with the manufacturer means one partner at every stage of the investment – from the first conversation about the plot parameters, through design, to post-warranty service. There is no need to establish whether a defect is the fault of the manufacturer or the middleman, because one company is responsible for everything; it knows the building's technical documentation from the ground up and can respond quickly without having to contact an external fabrication plant.
Want to order a steel building directly from the manufacturer, with no middlemen and no extra margin? Contact us or get a quote for your building yourself in our online configurator.
FAQ
How can you tell that a company is a middleman and not a manufacturer?
Ask for the address of the fabrication plant – a middleman usually avoids giving a specific answer or gives the address of a company with which it has no formal production relationship.
Does ordering through a middleman always mean a higher price?
Usually yes, because the middleman adds their own margin to the manufacturer's price, although the difference may be less visible with large one-off promotional discounts.
Does MatBud fabricate structures in its own plant?
Yes, we design, fabricate and erect steel buildings and canopies with our own resources, with no middlemen in the production chain.
