Business Profile: Bang On Metal Fabrication

A unique project involving a COR-TEN-clad exterior in Winnipeg.

The challenges for any small shop trying to find its niche in a market are determining how broad an audience the shop wants to reach and finding the right equipment to meet that audience’s need at a reasonable cost. Tyler Batik, founder of Winnipeg-based Bang On Metal Fabrication, chose railings and architectural fabrication as his forte, and he recently invested in a new press brake to boost his productivity and lower costs.

Batik is a third-generation fabricator in his family. His grandfather started in the industry when he moved to Canada from Europe, and Tyler’s father Darren followed in his footsteps. Tyler initially worked for his father at a fabricating shop in Winnipeg before he decided to start his own business. Now his father works at Bang On. Four other employees are primarily installation specialists. Tyler and his father do all of the welding work, particularly in stainless and aluminum. They have one other part-time employee who welds steel.

Asked why he chose this particular niche business, Batik said, “It’s nice to make something you get to see and interact with. An architectural product has that sort of appeal that pumping out thousands of identical parts doesn’t have. We had the opportunity to clad an entire house in COR-TEN® steel. We have also done elevator cladding and all-stainless-steel railings.”

One of Bang On’s most recent projects was the construction and installation of a 316 stainless gate outside the Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg’s downtown core. Another project underway when Canadian Fabricating & Welding visited the shop was the aluminum cladding of balcony railings on an apartment building.

At this point Batik is starting to quote on larger jobs for condominium developments and some municipal work. Once he lands one of these larger jobs, he’ll be looking to hire several more people. The challenge, as it is everywhere, is finding the talent that can do the job. Although Bang On has primarily worked in steel, the shop is transitioning more and more into stainless and aluminum, which requires another level of welding skill. While Tyler and his father can certainly do the work, an extra set of hands will likely come in handy soon.

The challenge with architectural and railing work is that you are the last one in on a job, and depending on how everyone else on a project has handled their deadlines, turnaround times can be very short. Although Bang On had a shear for cutting materials, that and the shop’s welding equipment weren’t going to be enough to meet deadlines.

“We needed to get on-site, double-check our measurements, and determine how to complete a project quickly,” said Batik. “We couldn’t do that without a press brake.”

A Bang-On-fabricated 316 stainless gate outside the Human Rights Museum.

Formerly Batik farmed out brake jobs to other shops, but turnaround times were getting tight so he invested in a 14-ft. Durma AD-R 43220 CNC press brake a year ago from Empire Machinery & Tools Ltd. The 14-ft., 220-metric-ton brake has a 12-ft. clearance between the side frames, which, Batik noted, is “ideal for doing countertops.” The brake uses Durma’s DT-10 2-D graphics controls.

“The machine was very easy to get used to,” said Batik. “The touchscreen controls are easy to use, and the CNC crowning is good for the light-gauge materials we want to use it for. When we are bending something 12 ft. long, we can get it exact along the whole length. That is important when you are working in stainless and want to maintain a clean finish on the material. And it was easy enough to use that; with just a day of training, we were running it the day after it was installed.”

Upper toolholders on the brake accommodate both American and European tooling, and front sheet supports remove some of the operators’ stress of handling large parts.

With this technology now in place, it’s just a matter of finding a couple more key welders for Batik to be satisfied with the team he’s developed. Either way, Bang On is ready to grow.

Editor Robert Colman can be reached at rcolman@canadianfabweld.com.

Bang On Metal Fabrication / Bang On Railings, 204-786-3881, www.bangonmetal.com

Empire Machinery & Tools Ltd., 800-665-8089, www.empire-machinery.com

Durma USA, 800-367-6911, www.durmausa.com

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