Starting new Metal Supermarket and value added waterjet cutter. What is in demand ?

[cbchapman]

Starting new business similar to Metal Supermarket and a Waterjet Cutter as value added. Metal Supermarket is expensive, but I do not see any competitors that are a franchise. Any suggestions ? Looking for what you need for value added example would you find metal shearing or pipe bending to be useful or does your local machine shop do you fine already. A Omax 4x8ft waterjet cutter is already in the initial plan, but is there anything else that you would find useful in minor machining or cutting for example ?

[noobCNC]

Most people buy locally so your shop has to be in a location with sufficient demand for raw materials. Alternatively offer low cost shipping, but that is often out of your control via couriers and domestic mail, and materials are heavy so usually they cant be very cheap.

Metalsupermarkets offer free cutting services also, unlike some other suppliers that may charge a price per cut. Its just not a waterjet cutter but a standard metal bandsaw from some of the ones ive been to. However they only do orthogonal cuts to the workpiece. If you offer to do rough cuts for more complex geometries since you have a CNC waterjet, then you will have an advantage there. For example a hobbist may want a triangle shaped rough cut, so if they buy from metalsupermarkets, they buy a rectangular piece and cut to two triangles himself. If you offer rough cutting servces for more complex geometries, you may be able to cut it into the rough triangles he needs.

But, if the customer has a saw himself anyway he may not need this serivce, in which case it goes back to cost and convenience again. Whos cheapest and closest.

One thing metalsupermarkets dont stock are more exotic alloys like titanium alloys and nickel superalloys etc. They also dont stock plastics. However you can order both from them.

Which part of Canada are you setting up a shop?

[cbchapman]

After asking and receiving no suggestions I am amazed that everyone is 100% satisfied with every jobshop in the world. Everyone has all of their needs met to their complete satisfaction. I say well done and thank you to all of the jobshops in the world. This is a phenominal achomplishment to have 100% Customer Satisfaction.