Client Price's Fabrication + Steel
Location Williams, Western Australia
Background
Price’s Fabrication + Steel is a family-owned business based in Williams, Western Australia. Specialising in custom-designed agricultural sheds and water tanks serving the Southern Wheatbelt and Lower Southwest regions. Their shed offerings include machinery, workshop, hay, commercial, drive-through, and fertiliser sheds. Price’s Fabrication + Steel is a strong well managed and successful WA business with a positive outlook.
The Challenge
Price’s Fabrication + Steel was encountering several growth-related challenges and sought external support to help resolve bottlenecks, uncover new opportunities, and enhance overall productivity. An initial visit to the Williams site revealed several areas ready for improvement.
At the time, Price’s was dealing with a 12-month backlog of orders. Compounding the issue, large volumes of materials were taking up valuable space on-site due to long restock times—some items required up to six months to replenish. As a result, the company was holding six months’ worth of inventory at any given time to manage supply chain delays.
One of their most persistent issues was design inaccuracy. Transitioning design plans from paper to digital was underway to improve precision, but inefficiencies remained. Additionally, the fabrication schedule was managed through a complex, manual process with limited visual management tools, making it difficult for operators to track progress or gain clear visibility into workflows.
“Price’s Fabrication has a lot going for it—there are some real opportunities here to streamline processes, cut waste, and make things run smoother across the whole facility” said Senior Consultant Jeremy Wylie.
The Solution
A comprehensive action plan was developed and structured into three key components. To lead the initiative, TXM Senior Consultant Jeremy Wylie was brought on board. He began by guiding a cross-functional team through mapping the current-state processes and identifying existing bottlenecks.
“The RACI method has proven valuable to make sure everyone knows what they are doing. As we employ more staff this has become a game changer as people are not waiting for the go ahead from Jon nor are two people doing the same thing. Also, Jon and I are kept informed of what is happening,” said Managing Director Tracey Price.
To enhance visibility of work in progress, a robust and scalable visual management system was introduced. TXM designed and implemented visual management boards, offering a simple and effective way to display key information for all staff. Additionally, a kanban system was introduced to streamline the management of consumables and stock replenishment.
“Visual management has brought the tools out of toolboxes, the information out of the computer, and helped minimise waste. It has also empowered our people by removing their frustrations and allowing them to be proud of the place they work at,” said Tracey Price.
One of the most impactful improvements targeted a major bottleneck: design inaccuracies. Previously, outdated paper drawings often led to errors and rework due to unrecorded design changes. To address this, a contractor is now responsible for completing the initial design at the quoting stage, helping to catch and prevent errors early in the process.
The Results
The team at Price’s fabrication have gone above and beyond to change their processes and develop a new way of working and in the process found a new revenue stream. The results from the TXM engagement have given the ability to take on new and emerging work in defence as well as:
- Reducing Lead Times from 12 months to 6 months
- Increasing tank installations from 120 to 240 a year
- Increased gross profit by 45%
- Created an alternative revenue stream – Laser cutting automation
Author: Timothy McLean
Timothy McLean is the Managing Director of TXM Lean Solutions and is an author of Lean books.
