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Ask which steps happen in their own buildingCutting, forming, welding, stress relief, machining, inspection, coating. Every no is a truck, a queue and a place accountability blurs.
Confirm welding and machining are both in houseIt is the whole reason to use a weldment specialist rather than a welding shop plus a machine shop.
Ask which steps are subcontracted and to whomRadiography and galvanising are commonly bought in and that is fine. Not knowing is not fine.

Machine travels in X, Y and Z, not machine namesThis is the single fastest way to rule a shop in or out. A competent shop gives these from memory.
Table load capacityA 4 tonne frame on a table rated for 2 tonnes is not happening.
Crane capacity and hook heightOften the real constraint. A shop can own the machine and not be able to get your part onto it.
Stress relief oven usable internal sizeIf they stress relieve in house. Usable internal dimensions, not the building.
Largest weldment welded and machined in the last yearA fact rather than an aspiration, and more useful than any capability sheet.

Ask how they control distortion on a frame this sizeYou want weld sequence planning, fixturing, positioners, prebending, heat control. Our welders are good is not an answer.
Ask how much machining stock they want leftA real weldment shop has a view and it varies by part. No opinion means they have not been burned yet.
Ask how they decide on stress reliefWeld volume, restraint, material removal and tolerance. A blanket policy either way is a warning.
Ask how they locate the part for machiningFixture, machined datum face, laser tracker alignment. The answer shows whether they machine weldments routinely.
Ask how many setups they plan for your partIt explains the price and tells you which quote carries the tolerance risk.

A WPS covering your material, thickness, joint and positionsAsk for the reference numbers with the quote. If they must qualify a new procedure, that is a cost and a schedule item.
Supporting PQR, or the prequalified joint they are relying onA WPS without a PQR is an unqualified procedure, unless a prequalified configuration applies and they can name it.
Welder qualifications current and in the right rangesProcess, material group, thickness, position and joint type. Certified alone answers nothing.
Certificate scope, not just the certificateMaterials, thicknesses, processes, execution classes. An EXC2 certificate does not cover EXC3 work.
Which NDT methods are in house and who holds the qualificationsSubcontracted methods add transport, a queue and a handoff to your lead time.
Material traceability methodHow the heat number follows the plate through cutting into the finished part.

Fixtures or a modular table, not parts on blocks and woodFit-up decides the weldment. You can see in seconds whether it is taken seriously.
Positioners in use so welds are made flatFlat position welds are faster and more consistent. It is a quality signal as much as a productivity one.
Stainless kept physically separate from carbon steelIf they do stainless. Carbon steel contamination rusts and looks exactly like the stainless failing.
Written weld sequences at the stationNot in somebody head. On a large frame the sequence is planned before the first arc.
Machined parts stored with faces protectedFinished faces stacked on concrete tell you what will arrive on your dock.

Who owns the fixtureIt matters when you want to move the work or add a second source on a repeat programme.
What happens if the first part is out of toleranceAsk before, not after. The answer tells you how they think about risk.
Lead time broken down by stageA single number hides where the schedule risk is. Material and subcontracted queues are usually the answer.
Whether the material is in stock or on orderThe most common reason a quoted lead time slips, and it is outside the shop control.

Weldment Supplier Audit Checklist

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