Material racks don’t make money

[Toolman]

About 15 years ago I built a really Bitchin material rack for our shop. Before that, we would store material vertically in the corners of our shop. One corner for aluminum, one corner for steel, etc. Now that the shop floor space is becoming scarce, it’s time to take a second look at that material rack. The material on the rack are leftover rems from jobs we’ve had over the last 15 years or so. Most of it I haven’t touched in 15 years. Had to stop and think, do I really need this rack? I can put a really nice machine where that rack is sitting. So I decided the rack has to go. I remove the material from the rack that I wanted to keep and stood it up in the corners of our shop again like the old days. It took eight hours to remove the material off the rack and take the rack out of the shop. Called my local recycler and he came over and picked up the material and the rack. I followed the recyclers back to their yard and witness the weighing of the material and I walked out of there with $1000 check. Now we’re on the hunt for another CNC lathe. So now I am constantly looking at the shop figuring out what I really need and what I don’t. It’s time to start getting rid of unnecessary crap.

 

[Done-it-again]

About 15 years ago I built a really Bitchin material rack for our shop. Before that, we would store material vertically in the corners of our shop. One corner for aluminum, one corner for steel, etc. Now that the shop floor space is becoming scarce, it’s time to take a second look at that material rack. The material on the rack are leftover rems from jobs we’ve had over the last 15 years or so. Most of it I haven’t touched in 15 years. Had to stop and think, do I really need this rack? I can put a really nice machine where that rack is sitting. So I decided the rack has to go. I remove the material from the rack that I wanted to keep and stood it up in the corners of our shop again like the old days. It took eight hours to remove the material off the rack and take the rack out of the shop. Called my local recycler and he came over and picked up the material and the rack. I followed the recyclers back to their yard and witness the weighing of the material and I walked out of there with $1000 check. Now we’re on the hunt for another CNC lathe. So now I am constantly looking at the shop figuring out what I really need and what I don’t. It’s time to start getting rid of unnecessary crap.

Now you will get an inquiry for parts using the material you got rid of, happens to us all the time....

 

[dspracing]

After studying Paul Akers and LEAN I got rid of 95% of our scrap.

I order what I need for the job and scrap what’s left over.

Commonly used materials are all I would keep on hand and typically in full bar or sheet only.

Scrap materials are there for what ifs. Seems like often times it would cost more to rework oversized material than it would cost to order the right blank from online metals.

 

[JDKRXW]

You must have had a LOT of scrap for this job to have taken 8 hrs.
I expect this was a wise thing to do.

 

[Toolman]

You must have had a LOT of scrap for this job to have taken 8 hrs.
I expect this was a wise thing to do.

That included removing the rack.

 

[v6toy4x]

I want pictures of the shop!!

 

[liv4riv]

figure out the square footage that the steel rack took up then look at what the per foot cost is and what you paid storing the scrap for how many years.

it adds up fast.

 

[DirtyWhiteDog]

For scrap pricing, why not make an offer to me. I could put it in a corner of my home shop/garage and never use it , but be happy it's there because one day I might need some oddball shit.
This is RDP, we pay cash and never complain.

 

[NicPaus]

I am getting ready to do the same. I have way to much extra building materials laying around. Was going to rent a shop but it's cheaper to just throw it all way than pay the rent to store it.

 

[lbhsbz]

I had about 8 milk crates of scrapbinium....that I realized all I do is add to, never take away from...so I scrapped most of it about a year ago. I was down to one steel and one aluminum crate, now I'm back up for 4 crates. I think I'll scrap it all. The space is worth more than the material. Plus, I can't find what I want half the time and just order a new piece of stock anyway.

I've always been one to keep anything on hand in quantity that I might ever need. I'm rethinking that theory now, although the supply chain issues and lead times these days are making me re-consider.

 

[River Runnin]

It sure read like that rack made you a thousand bucks!!

 

[BHC Vic]

I won’t say that racks have made me money but having them fully stocked before this shit show with metal saved me some money for sure. Damn near impossible to get 1/8” galvi sheets and when you find them don’t look at the price tag. Sad part it i cut down the 4’x8’ sheets into 3”x3” coupons.

 

[lbhsbz]

I won’t say that racks have made me money but having them fully stocked before this shit show with metal saved me some money for sure. Damn near impossible to get 1/8” galvi sheets and when you find them don’t look at the price tag. Sad part it i cut down the 4’x8’ sheets into 3”x3” coupons.

Galvinized coupons? that doesn't sound like the best idea

 

[BHC Vic]

Galvinized coupons? that doesn't sound like the best idea

I don’t really have any pictures but these are their test coupons. Both of these were fails

 

[BHC Vic]

Unless you work for Robbie Gordon, then they’re money.

 

[lbhsbz]

Unless you work for Robbie Gordon, then they’re money.

Welding over zinc is not the best for ones health, was my point

 

[BHC Vic]

Welding over zinc is not the best for ones health, was my point

I agree. Our booths have some pretty good filters but still not good. That’s the qualification procedure per AWS D1.3. These guys will be welding galvanized studs in the field. They say milk helps when they start feeling sick