Current Trends In Metal Fabrication And What The Future Holds

If you want to get a good handle on what the future holds for both metal fabricators and their customers it’s often an idea to take a look at current and emerging trends within the industry. With this in mind, let’s take a sneaky peak at what’s happening right now!

The ever-decreasing circle of steel recycling

Steel consists of somewhere between 50-60% recycled metal which can be reconstituted endlessly without losing quality and strength, but why isn’t it made from 100% recycled metals? Quite simply the demand is too high for the amount of recyclable materials that we currently have. Add to this the fact that most metals have a shelf life of 20-30 years and it’s easy to see how the demand is far exceeding supply. So what does the future hold for metal recycling? More recyclable materials need to be fed back into the loop and ultimately there’s likely to be far higher demand for them. Once this starts to happen, then we could (in the not too distant future) be seeing steel fashioned from a far higher percentage of recyclable materials.

Fashion and utility call the shots

When it comes to the metal fabrication industry, what’s trending and what’s ‘en vogue’ plays a huge part in items being produced. For example, steel is heavily in demand as it’s strong, durable, incredibly versatile and yet, it’s also ‘of the moment’. Many cafés, restaurants, and even homes for example are seeking a contemporary industrialised theme and inevitably that means steel…. and lots of it! The practicality of a product also has a huge influence on the type of metals and processes being used. For example mobile phones and other electronic devices make our lives much easier, but are often fashioned from ‘rare earth’ materials that can be difficult to extract. However as long as the demand is there, then the manufacturers will make sure that the supply is there too!

Technology rules.

As technology moves with the times computers are being seen as central to most operations. For this reason, as the demand grows there’s likely to be an increase in the mining of iron ore and metal fabrication to make more technologically advanced computer systems and robotic production equipment. All of which will enable companies to cut costs and increase output.

So there you have it, a glimpse into what the future could hold for metal fabrication and its customers!

At Metro Steel we make bespoke, high quality metal products for a wide range of clients and projects, as well as supplying steel from stock lengths or cut to your exacting specifications. If you have a project that requires metal fabrication or steel then speak to the experts on (07) 3204 1000 today.