Two Considerations to Guide Your Choice of an Engineering Services Company

Posted on: 28 January 2020

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Having the right engineering services available to support your business is essential for any mining company. To keep your equipment in great shape, it's vital to be able to expect a fast response from the engineering services team if an emergency strikes. You don't want to be left waiting for days for them to fix your heavy equipment when that is holding up your operations and causing expensive delays to your schedule. To minimize delays, you must already have an established relationship with the company before the breakdown occurs. When you are considering a prospective engineering services company, you will want to take your time and make a careful decision since the wrong choice could be disastrous for your company. Here are the two considerations that must guide your choice.

Know what you need

One of the most common mistakes that people make when they are selecting an engineering service firm is not really thinking through what engineering services they need. It can be tempting to view your needs simply in terms of today's problems. While fixing your immediate problem is important, that can't be the only consideration. If all you need is for a single part to be replaced, then there may be many companies which could help you, but how many of those companies are able to help you next time if a more complex task is required? Think about all the engineering services you could use to complement your own capabilities and choose a firm that offers everything you need. Consider areas such as:

  • Design
  • Analysis
  • Prototyping
  • Machinery repair and maintenance
  • Component creation
  • Documentation

What can you do yourself, and which areas would you like your engineering services partner to take on? By deciding on the level of service you need, you can limit your search to engineering services companies who are a great fit for your operations.

Know what they really offer

You should only be considering engineering companies who claim expertise in those service areas you want to outsource, but how much do they really know? It's important to take the time to study your proposed partner company in detail. Find out how qualified and experienced their staff are. Look at their equipment and tooling to see if it is capable of doing the work you need. Speak to their customers and find out how satisfied they are with the service they receive. It is always worth doing your research before you commit to a long-term relationship with an engineering services company.