What could I do with a steel fab shop that sits idle most of the time?

Question

It has welders, cut off saws, tourches, etc, + a spray booth. While the proprieter goes out and fixes fire escapes all day, the shop sits empty. It's time to diversify.

How do we find the need to fit our capability?

Where do I begin to look?

Answer 1

Look into reblading cement trucks

Answer 2

It appears this is a small operation and has a very small staff.

To keep away from expenses you could look into sub-contracting your services to a larger company.

One way to get into this could be to contact Home Depot or Rona and ask about the contractors they use for specialty installations.  The contractors need not be deeply involved in steel work, but they will have their own contacts and can  refer you to others. .

Quite often one or more contractors will be in the store, (especially in the morning) and you can speak to them directly.

Don't be shy about asking.