Preparing for the Fall Rush: A Pre-September Shop Checklist

September through Thanksgiving is the heaviest 12 weeks in fabrication. Most shops realize they weren't ready by the first week of October. Don't be most shops.

1. Service every machine

Saw blade alignment, CNC tool changeout, waterjet abrasive line. A breakdown in October costs 2 weeks of throughput.

2. Stock fast-movers

Six slabs each of your top three sellers. Don't let "out of stock" cost you a kitchen in peak season.

3. Hire a templater

By August. Training takes 4 weeks; you want them solo by October. Hiring in October means you're paying overtime to your existing team.

4. Tighten your CRM stages

Add a "Production Hold" stage between Approved and In Production. It surfaces stuck jobs before they bottleneck the shop.

5. Warn your subs

Plumber, electrician, tile guy. Lock their fall calendar now. The shops that lose money in October are the ones whose installs get held up by a missing electrician.