You send your files to a vendor. A week later, the enclosure arrives—and nothing fits. Mounting holes are off. Cables won’t clear. Your team is stuck waiting while you manage rework, delays, and conversations that should’ve happened forever ago.
It’s a common risk when electronics and sheet metal are handled in isolation.
IMS takes a different approach.
At our Calgary facility, sheet metal fabrication and electronics manufacturing happen under one roof. Mechanical and electrical teams review projects together, align early, and stay connected throughout the build. That means faster iteration, better integration, and fewer surprises along the way.
This article shows how IMS’s in-house collaboration helps solve real-world integration challenges, saving time, reducing costs, and helping you build without the headaches.
What In-House Collaboration Looks Like at IMS
A customer recently came to us with a product idea and a clear goal: it would require a sheet metal enclosure, internal wiring, and external cabling. What they didn’t have yet were detailed drawings, finalized specs, or a production-ready plan.
Instead of bouncing between vendors to piece it together, the customer met with both our electronics manufacturing and sheet metal teams together on-site.
We discussed the technical requirements, clarified the scope, and worked through the design collaboratively. From there:
- Functional drawings were developed with both mechanical and electrical teams at the table.
- A quick-turn prototype was produced to validate fit, cable clearance, and assembly ease.
- Adjustments were made collaboratively, and the product moved to production without delays or scope creep.
The result? A product that performed as expected, hit our client’s timeline, and didn’t require extra rounds of rework.
This client came to IMS with an idea and left with a solid product. No guesswork. No back-and-forth between vendors.
🤝 Want to make product development smoother from day one?
Read our article on Collaborative Product Design to learn how working closely with your ECM partner leads to faster iterations, better integration, and fewer roadblocks.
Fit, Flow, and Faster Builds: The Value of Real-Time Collaboration
When electronics and sheet metal are designed in isolation, there is significant risk of misalignment. Mounting holes land off-center. Cables don’t route cleanly. And by the time you catch it, you’re already dealing with costly rework and lost time.
At IMS, our metal manufacturing and electronics teams collaborate from day one. Mechanical designers and electrical engineers review drawings together, bringing full-stack insight to every build—from component height and connector placement to thermal management and assembly flow.
This early alignment does more than improve fit; it speeds up everything that follows.
With prototyping and integration under one roof:
- Design tweaks are validated faster
- Fitment issues are solved before production
- Cable routing and internal layouts are optimized early
- Assembly time and long-term serviceability improve
Instead of passing files between vendors and hoping things line up, teams can iterate in real time, keeping builds on track and avoiding downstream bottlenecks.
When collaboration happens up front, you don’t just get a better enclosure. You get a more manufacturable product, a smoother process, and the kind of momentum that’s hard to find when you’re managing multiple suppliers.
“Many times when dealing with third parties, we have had instances when things don’t fit properly once we start assembling. By collaborating early and working together through the prototype stage, we are able to identify issues and come up with creative solutions before a product gets to production.” – Dave Elhard, President & Founder
Why Integration Matters for Technical Teams and Buyers
If you’ve ever managed an enclosure that didn’t quite fit or chased down vendors after discovering a clearance issue, you know how quickly misalignment turns into delays, rework, and budget creep.
For engineering teams, these aren’t minor inconveniences. They derail timelines, introduce risk, and compromise product performance.
For buyers, managing multiple suppliers adds complexity at every stage: more emails, more approvals, and more opportunity for miscommunication.
With integrated manufacturing under one roof, coordination happens in real time. Design intent is preserved. And teams spend less time troubleshooting and more time delivering.
Integration isn’t just a convenience. It’s a way to protect your schedule, your budget, and your confidence in the final product.
Work With a Team That Builds It All, Together
You shouldn’t have to coordinate between vendors just to get a clean build. When your fabrication and electronics teams collaborate from the start, integration is baked in.
IMS offers something most providers don’t: in-house coordination between sheet metal fabrication and electronics manufacturing, backed by more than 20 years in business.
Ready to simplify your next build?
Send us your drawings, book a facility tour, or request a quote.
We’re here to make your products easier to manufacture.
