The decision to relocate a manufacturing facility is often obvious, but easier said than done. In fact, it can be one of the most complex projects a company can undertake. A professional plant relocation company can ease the process and mitigate the risks of moving industrial machinery while helping you to maintain production schedules. This is why choosing the right industrial machinery moving company is of utmost importance.
Below are a few important considerations to make when selecting an industrial contractor.
Worker Safety
Relocating facilities should not be treated as just another day at the office. Workers should be properly oriented and maintain heightened awareness to avoid injury while moving around a worksite that’s in a constant state of flux.
Certified rigging crews must use OSHA-compliant equipment and practices to transport heavy machinery from one plant to another.
Protection of Valuable Precision Machinery
Large machinery can experience undue strain and structural damage if they are moved improperly. A certified crew from a professional plant relocation company will plan and prepare the rigging and equipment necessary for moving large machines, ensure that the proper load-bearing points are used, and consider load dynamics at all times.
Machines should be decommissioned from one site and installed properly in another by a professional team that will ensure safety and integrity.
Preparation for Proper Equipment Installation
Protecting machinery during transportation is only half of the process. Once it arrives at the new facility, packing lists ensure that all deliveries are complete, while inspections ensure that nothing was damaged. From here, equipment is staged in sequence based on the installation plan.
Machinery is then positioned using the most appropriate methods, whether it involves overhead cranes, hydraulic skidding, gantry, or a combination of these systems. Proper alignment, leveling, and anchoring help to prevent problems downstream.
Minimization of Operational Downtime
Despite planning ahead, business doesn’t stop simply to accommodate a relocation. Deadlines must be clearly identified, and milestones should be monitored to ensure that everything is on track.
Minimizing downtime involves delivery sequencing, logistics, and coordination among contractors, carriers, installers, suppliers, and plant personnel. Once the equipment is in place, it has to undergo final inspection, testing, and documentation before turnover.
Project management by experienced professionals keeps delays to a minimum.
Understanding of Regulatory Concerns
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) have their own compliance guidelines to consider. These usually include driver logs, oversized and overweight permits, and tie-down limits, among others. Driver qualification, vehicle inspections, and hazardous materials are also considered.
Oversized and overweight permits must be obtained when crossing state lines. A route survey may be required if machinery is very tall or wide to ensure that low bridges, power lines, and other obstructions are not hit.
When crossing the border, factors such as customs clearance, export documentation, and tariff treatment come into play.
Managers will often use site logistics, equipment protection, and problems with customs, among other considerations, that keep them from acting quickly. What they may not fully appreciate is the opportunity cost of delaying the inevitable. For assistance from a professional plant relocation company, call 501-268-7827 or visit AKIC.us.