What is production routing in steel fabrication?

Production Routing is the planned sequence of operations that a part or assembly will go through from start to finish in the fabrication process. It’s essentially the roadmap for how to build the item, specifying which work centers or machines will be used, in what order, and how long each step should take. In steel fabrication, a routing might include steps like saw cutting, drilling, welding, grinding, painting, etc., laid out in the optimal order.

What does good production routing look like in steel fabrication?

A good production routing ensures that every part follows a logical flow through the shop, minimizing backtracking or waiting. It often comes in the form of a routing sheet or is built into the work order/traveler.

Why is production routing important for small steel fabrication shops?

Production routing turns the project plan into concrete steps everyone can follow. In a small steel fabrication shop, having a defined routing prevents chaos. It ensures no step is overlooked and that workers know the correct order of operations. Small shops often do custom jobs where each project is a bit different. Production routing helps standardize the approach so quality stays consistent. Also, routings help in estimating and costing: if you know the routing, you can assign expected times to each step and quote more accurately. One missed step in planning (say, forgetting that something needs a fit-up check or an extra cut) can mean rework later. Routings catch these needs upfront. As one industry guide put it, routing is the backbone that makes scheduling and capacity planning possible.

How is production routing different from production scheduling?

Routing defines the process steps (the “where/how” of production) while scheduling assigns a time and date for those steps (the “when” and “who”). For example, routing says Step 1: Cut on Band Saw, Step 2: Drill Holes, Step 3: Weld, etc., in that fixed order. Scheduling takes that and says “We’ll do the cutting Monday 8 AM on Saw #1 (because it’s free then), drilling at 10 AM on the drill press, welding in the afternoon by John.” If you imagine building a cake, routing is the recipe (mix, then bake, then frost) and scheduling is putting it on the calendar (mix at 9AM, bake by 9:30, frost at 10 once it cools). In practice, you create the routing first; without a proper routing, scheduling is just guessing.

How to create production routing in a simple way?

Start by listing out the major steps required to make the product. Use verbs like “Cut,” “Weld,” “Paint,” etc. Ask: after we do this step, what’s next? If you’re unsure, walk through the process on paper or with the team. Many shops already have an informal routing – you might talk it through: “We always machine holes before welding the parts together.” Write that sequence down. It can be a checklist on your traveler or a column in your job spreadsheet. For repeated products, save that routing template. If you get design info from an engineer, they might specify some sequence for critical operations (e.g., heat treatment before final machining in some cases – more for machining, but worth noting). Essentially, formalize the tribal knowledge into a process sheet. It doesn’t need to be fancy – even a hand-drawn flowchart pinned on the wall for a complex assembly can guide newer employees.

Can routing help identify bottlenecks or capacity issues?

Yes, big time. When you map out all routings, you might realize everyone’s fighting over one machine at a certain stage (e.g., everything goes through the single ironworker or the only paint booth). By seeing that in the routing stage, you can plan to avoid jams. For example, maybe half your jobs require CNC plasma cutting first – that’s a potential bottleneck. Knowing this, you could schedule small jobs on a secondary machine or outsource some cuts during peak times. Also, routings with estimated times let you add up how many hours of, say, welding is needed this week, which you can compare to your welders’ actual available hours (this crosses into capacity planning). In essence, routings feed into your schedule and capacity plan, highlighting where conflicts or overloads could occur.

Is production routing overkill for one-off or custom steel jobs?

Not really – it’s actually most useful for custom jobs because each one might be different. If you only made one product in thousands, routing would be set once. In custom fabrication, you’re making something new each time; a routing forces you to think through the build steps at the start of the job. This prevents “oops, I should have drilled that baseplate before welding it on” moments. For very simple one-off jobs (like “cut this plate into a base plate and drill 4 holes”), the routing might just be a couple steps and feel intuitive. But for a multi-step project, writing it out ensures the team shares the plan. Also, if you take on a type of work you haven’t done before, creating a routing might involve talking to your senior fabricators or doing a bit of research (maybe the customer specifies a welding sequence). It’s a learning tool too. In summary, routing isn’t overkill – it’s a low-cost planning step that can save a lot of pain, even (or especially) for custom and one-off jobs.

What's the best production routing software for a small custom fabrication shop?

Many small custom-metal shops still rely on paper or Excel for routing. The result is tribal knowledge, late jobs, and heavy impact on margins whenever the schedule changes. EZIIL replaces that patchwork with a cloud-native routing engine: you start from pre-built fabrication templates, drag operations into the right order, and lock in setup and cycle times that automatically feed BOM cost and capacity calendars. The impact is measurable: on average, swapping paper travelers for digital work orders trims make-to-order lead times by about 20% and eliminates hours spent hunting for parts or status updates. EZIIL’s routing feature also encourages smarter resource use, resulting in lower waste, faster throughput, and tighter quality control, and rolls actual labour and material consumption straight into margin dashboards, so finance can see where each project makes or loses money.

Production Routing

What is Production Routing?

Production Routing is the detailed sequence of operations and work centers that a job follows through the shop. It’s essentially the process plan for how raw stock transforms into a finished structure.

For example, a simple Production Routing in a steel fabrication shop could look like this:

Sawing → Drilling → Fit-up → Welding → Painting

A clear routing specifies each step’s machine or station, setup time, and cycle time.

In custom steel fabrication, routing is relatively static for common part types but must be tailored per project.

Effective routing lets a small shop schedule jobs realistically, prevent misrouting or bottlenecks (like two jobs fighting for the single CNC drill line), and calculate labor and machine loads for each project. It forms the basis of accurate scheduling and costing by standardizing how work travels through the shop.

Below, you can see an example how production routing works in EZIIL software.