The fabricated metal product manufacturing industry is present in most spheres of economic activity, ranging from the manufacturing of nuts and bolts to custom parts, electronics and even giant turbines. Though it has the advantage of being present in all sectors, this also means greater exposure to their ups and downs. Still, an improving global economy and new opportunities in growth sectors means a bright future is in store. However, in order to capitalize on the favourable outlook, manufacturing companies have to work hard to boost their productivity and make sure they have enough workers and are adaptable to the market conditions.

This paper discusses various factors that would enable the buyer of metal fabricated products to understand the market conditions and take a wiser decision during vendor selection and making long term strategies. The paper would also chalk out the major parameters affecting the fabrication market and how does those parameters differ in each region/country. The trend of market demand of such product has shifted from the developed to the developing economies and the trend is expected to be the same for next 4-5 years till 2020.

The capital investment especially in the developing economies is on the rise and the purchasing managers in the fortune 500 companies are now trimming their suppliers list only to engage with the top performing fabricators in each region/country. These are the same fabricators who managed to escape the manufacturing recession by keeping their prices low during stiff competition. But now, the scenario is being more driven to quality products and hence there are many other factors apart from the raw material prices.