Do you providing welding services? What’s stopping you?
Pete Rudloff, of Pete's Garage Inc., in Newark, DE says he offers welding services as an add-on to his current business.
“It’s very profitable for us,” he says.“And, it’s a change of pace.” Pete’s Garage performs welding jobs at least a couple of times a month for exhaust work, landscaping companies’ dump trucks and trailer repairs.
“We’ll get somebody that broke the trailer, or take an axle mount off of a trailer, and we’ll have to fabricate and build whole new axle mount and weld that to the trailer to make the trailer whole again,” says Pete. “(The) benefit for the customer is that it keeps them on the road and keeps them from having to throw away a piece of equipment.”
Welding does take a lot of practice and is considered a skilled job. As a technician, you may want to consider taking classes at a technical school or community college. It will help you to stand out in the employment pool.
Shops offering welding can provide a more complete service for current customers as well as attract new customers, like Pete’s trailer customers. Welding is not incredibly expensive to get started. Pete says, “Generally speaking, welders last a pretty significant period of time.” He explains the only extra items he purchases on a regular basis are welding wire, welding rod and gas to power his welders.
Consider adding welding to your shop’s services to increase the average service ticket.
