Beyond the Product: Why good façade subcontractors never stop learning

When people talk about facade projects, most of the conversation tends to focus on design, installation or the finished building. What often gets overlooked is what happens in the workshop.

A lot of the quality of a project is decided before anything arrives on site. It's determined by the people making the product, the decisions they make everyday and how well they understand the system they're working with.

As aluminium building systems continue to evolve, workshops are being asked to produce more complex projects while keeping quality high and avoiding costly rework. New digital tools are helping, but they don't replace experience and product knowledge.

That's where training comes in.

We spoke to Matt Lazenby, Technical Operations Manager at TECHNAL UK and Ireland, about common workshop mistakes, why experienced fabrication teams still attend training and how understanding a system properly can save a lot of hassle later on.

Why is workshop fabrication training such an important part of TECHNAL's support offering?

Because mistakes cost money. It's as simple as that really. Everyone wantes to work efficiently. The pressure is always there to get the product through the workshop and out of the door, but if people don't fully understand the system they're working with, they'll often create extra work for themselves without realising it.

A small mistake in the workshop can quickly turn into wasted material, rework, a site issue or somebody having to stop what they're doing and figure out what went wrong. I've seen situations where half an hour spent understanding the product would have saved days later on in a project. There's a safety aspect as well. Any time somebody is relying on assumptions rather than understanding the process, there's a risk attached to that.

Training isn't about making things more complicated. Quite the opposite. It's about helping people understand the system, why it works the way it does and how to get the best out of it. If you understand the product properly from day one, you're giving yourself a much easier job.

What's the biggest thing fabricators gain from hands-on training?

Clarity. A lot of our systems can do a huge number of things, which is great from a design point of view, but it can sometimes feel like there's a lot to absorb when you're first working with them.

What training does is focus on what's relevant. We're not trying to teach every application under the sun all at once. We're looking at the product in the context of the project the customer is actually working on.

That saves a lot of time because people aren't trying to work out which information applies to them and which doesn't.

The other thing is confidence. People learn in different ways. Some people can pick things up by reading a manual. Others need to see it, touch it and physically assemble it before it makes sense. Once you've done it yourself and had chance to ask questions, it sticks. Sometimes we can see the moment when someone goes from following instructions to genuinely understanding the system.

Why isn't a manual enough on its own?

Because a manual can only tell you so much. Don't get me wrong, documented information is important, but a manual can't explain experience. It can't tell you where people tend to get caught out. It can't explain a shortcut that might look sensible but causes problems later. It can't answer the question you didn't know you needed to ask.

A lot of our training is based on experience. We've worked with these products, supported fabricators using them, and seen the same questions come up time and time again. That's the sort of knowledge that's difficult to write down.

You also get the opportunity to talk to us about specific projects. Quite often somebody will mention a detail they're working on and we'll be able to explain a more effective way of approaching it. That's incredibly useful because it's directly relevant to what they're doing the next day back in the workshop.

What are some of the most common mistakes you see in fabrication workshops?

Assumptions. I've said it before and I'll probably say it another hundred times.

Most problems start with somebody assuming something works the same as a product they've used previously. Just because two systems look the same doesn't mean they will be manufactured the same way.

A lot of TECHNAL products include patented features and different fabrication methods. If you've not been shown them before, there's a good chance you'll naturally fall back on what you've always done.

We see things like incorrect gasket insertion fairly regularly. We also see people using more silicone and adhesive than they need to. People think they're making something more secure when creating more work for themselves and introducing more reliance on workmanship.

The best fabrication methods are usually the simplest ones.   The product has been designed to work in a certain way to decrease waste and prevent wasting time by using reliable and repeatable methods to get the best outcome. Once people understand that, things become much easier.

How does training help prevent problems before they reach site?

Because it’s much easier to solve a problem when you’re standing in a workshop than when you’re standing on a building site. Most site issues don’t appear out of nowhere. Usually there’s something that happened earlier in the process.

A detail wasn’t fully understood. The wrong component was selected. A fabrication step was missed. Somebody assumed something would be fine.

The workshop is where you’ve got the greatest level of control. You’ve got the right environment, the right tools and the ability to check things properly before products leave. Once they’re onsite, you’ve got weather, programme pressures and lots of different people trying to keep things moving.

The fewer issues you send out of the workshop, the smoother things tend to run further down the line.

How important is hands-on training for people entering the façade industry?

It’s essential. The façade industry is quite specialised and a lot of people joining it haven’t necessarily come from a façade background. They may be very experienced in construction, but aluminium windows, doors and facades can be a completely different world.

There are products, terminology, and manufacturing processes they’ve never encountered before. Training gives them a structured way to build that knowledge.

You can normally tell when somebody has had proper hands-on training because they’re far more comfortable around the product. They’ve seen it, built it and asked questions about it. That knowledge is more relevant than what they would get from reading about it.

Surely experienced fabricators don’t need training?

Honestly, they can be the people who get the most from it. The best fabricators I’ve worked with are constantly looking for a better way of doing things. They know that products evolve and manufacturing methods change. Therefore, they’re interested in anything that makes fabrication easier, quicker or more reliable.

We’ve introduced a lot of development over the years that are designed to improve efficiency, but you only benefit from them if you know about them and more importantly, understand them. The fabricators who tend to do well are usually the ones asking questions rather than telling everyone they’ve seen it all before.

Does workshop training actually improve workshop performance?

Absolutely. One of the biggest indicators is the amount of technical support fabricators need after hands-on training. The customers who attend training generally need less help afterward.

That’s not because they stop asking questions. It’s because they already know many of the answers. They’re not spending time searching through manuals, sending emails or waiting for someone to call them back. The workshop keeps moving.

Training also helps to create consistency. When everyone follows the same process and understands the product in the same way, quality becomes much easier to maintain. The businesses that regularly engage with training and TECHNAL tend to see fewer issues, fewer delays and a less chance for essential rework. It’s common sense really. Spending a day on training is usually a lot cheaper than spending three days fixing something later.

How is aluminium fabrication changing, and what skills will be most important in the future?

Digital tools are becoming a part of everyday workshop life now. Five or ten years ago, you’d see folders full of printed information lying around. Now people are working from tablets, accessing the latest technical information through tools like TechTip and using digital resources directly on the shop floor. We’re also seeing more CNC machining, particularly as products become larger and more complex.

But technology doesn’t replace knowledge. You still need people who understand products, understand fabrication and how to identify potential issues.

What technology does is make information more accessible and remove some of the repetitive tasks. That gives people more time to focus on quality, efficiency and improving how things are done.

If you could give fabricators one piece of advice, what would it be?

Don’t wait until something has gone wrong. The support is there. Use it.

Book the training, get on TechTip, speak to your Account Manager, contact the Technical Team if you’re unsure. The earlier you engage, the easier life tends to be.

People often treat training as something they’ll do when they’ve got time. In reality, the people who make time for it are usually the ones who end up saving time later.   Be proactive. It’s a lot less painful than trying to fix something under pressure.

Final Thoughts

Talking to Matt Lazenby, one thing becomes clear: quality fabrication starts long before products leave the workshop. It comes from understanding the system, paying attention to detail and having the confidence to ask questions when needed.

While products and manufacturing methods continue to evolve, the fundamentals remain the same. Teams that understand the systems they’re working with are better placed to work efficiently, maintain quality and avoid unnecessary issues down the line.

For Matt, training isn’t about ticking a box. It’s about giving fabricators the knowledge and practical understanding they need to get the best from TECHNAL products and support successful project delivery.

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