Every fabrication shop eventually faces the decision of whether to invest in equipment to carry out a specific process in house — galvanising, high-precision laser cutting — or to carry on sending it to a specialist subcontractor.
The cost of the investment against real volume
Equipping yourself for a particular process means a significant upfront investment that is only recovered with enough use. If the process is needed only occasionally, the equipment will struggle to repay itself against continuing to buy it in job by job.
The value of direct control
Doing a process in house gives direct control over timing and quality, without depending on a supplier who also serves other customers. For processes that directly affect the delivery dates you promise, that control has a value beyond a simple cost-per-piece calculation.
A judgement to revisit
Whether outsourcing beats bringing work in house is not decided once and for all: if the volume of a particular process grows, an investment that once made no sense can become worthwhile. Revisiting the judgement periodically, rather than treating it as settled, lets you catch the right moment to change approach.