There’s no denying that heavy machinery moving, especially high-value machinery moving can be very difficult and challenging to perform. Yet a lot of the time, you can find ways to minimize the risks, even if it does have its fair share of challenges to do that. It does bring the question, how can you reduce the risks of moving this high-value industrial machinery and ensure there’s little to no damage or any other problems? Here’s what you want to focus on!
Comprehensive planning and adequate risk assessment
The important thing to consider when it comes to moving any expensive stuff is to do the right type of planning. That means you always want to focus on identifying critical risks, and you can also conduct any site surveys, if you want to. Making things even better, you can also focus on mapping dependencies, when you can.
Why would you do this? The most important thing is that you do want to reduce risks and assessments are a major part of the process. On top of that, you also want to consider the fact that adequate, seamless implementations will help streamline things in a way that’s very powerful. Site surveys are handy as well, mainly because you can streamline access routes, assess power supply and all the important aspects behind machinery moving. It totally helps, and it will surely make the experience a whole lot better, which is a thing to keep into account here.
Work with the best machinery movers
Naturally, you always want to make sure that you are working with top tier moving experts. And that’s no simple thing. The most important approach with this kind of stuff is to hire machinery movers that are very professional, great to work with, but also timely and dependable. Hiring certified movers is crucial here, and you also want them to have updated safety training, just to avoid any type of problems. Using vendor technicians for stuff like calibration or assembly/disassembly is going to come in handy just as much.
Make sure that the equipment is protected
It might seem obvious, but a lot of the time disasters or issues arise because the equipment doesn’t have the right amount of protection. Clearly, you need to find ways of protecting the equipment, and if you do that, it will all be a whole lot better. Ideally, you want to do these things:
- Disassemble every pipe, cable and component. And then, you want to label them properly. It might not seem like a lot, but this stuff makes the experience better, and it’s totally a thing you have to consider if you move expensive equipment.
- Packaging is just as important in here. What you want to do is to use protective covers, moisture barriers, shock-absorbing barriers and anything of that nature.
- When you are transporting expensive equipment, it does make sense to use vehicles that have very low vibration systems. And then, you also want to use some precision lifting equipment. That will ensure the items are moved appropriately, without damage, and you can avoid any future problems that could arise in the long term.
- Also, insurance is very much a necessity when it comes to high-value machinery moving. Your focus should be on having everything insured. That way, if any issue does appear, you can handle it appropriately and not worry about any concerns or problems that might arise. And if you do that wisely, in the end that will only lead to a better experience down the line.
Focus on compliance and safety
When we talk about moving machinery that’s expensive, you always want to focus on safety and also staying compliant with the industry requirements. With this kind of stuff, you always want to ensure that you apply the tagout and lockout procedures, as these will help increase the overall safety and bring in a more consistent result every single time.
Additionally, you want to be 100% sure that the lifting equipment you use is certified for this type of procedure, as much as possible. And not only that, but you also want to ensure compliance with the local regulations, but also the HSE, OSHA and other similar governing bodies. It all depends on the local region, of course. If you want to do any machinery moving, the most important thing is to assign a safety officer for the entire process. That way, you will have someone who focuses on the overall safety of the process and the procedure as a whole will be a whole lot better in the end.
Minimizing business and production risks
It always helps a lot if you focus on keeping the production process unaffected by the move. That could be difficult to do, but with the right amount of planning, it will only make things better in the end. And the right approach here is that you can lower the risks, while also avoiding some financial losses.
But what can you do in this type of situation? A lot of the time, this has to do with buffering stocks, which allows you to build inventory before the move and avoid any concerns. On top of that, you can also try to do parallel operations. That will allow you to use backup equipment, or you can shift some of the production to another spot. It’s always going to help more than expected, and in the end, it also provides you with a more consistent result, which is a thing that you must focus on.
Staggered relocations are another approach you can use here. Relocating only some stuff at a time is going to make the process much easier to manage. And on top of that, it allows you to maintain the right capacity, without hampering things. That’s why it makes sense to test things out, and the outcome overall is going to be even better than expected.
And lastly, you need to have some sort of a contingency plan. Rental equipment is a good plan mainly because you can still continue working, without dealing with any disruptions. Or you can do some emergency outsourcing, so another team can work on your stuff and you don’t have to experience any type of disruptions.
Monitoring and using tech
That’s the thing, technology can make things much easier to manage, and it’s up to you to adapt and ensure you use it rightfully. The most important thing with using tech is that it helps encourage your focus and brings in a great sense of consistency. For example, using digital twins and 3D models can make it easier to simulate the move. You can verify clearances, see what kind of problems arise, and how you can enhance the experience even further.
Here you can also try to deploy IoT sensors during transport. These sensors can help monitor humidity, tilting and vibrations during the move. It might not seem like a major aspect, but once you start implementing this wisely, it will only make it easier to see if any adjustments need to be made as quickly as possible.
And of course, you can also start using things like calibration alignment and laser tools. These are great because you can have a vast array of precision, without having to deal with downsides or any issues that might arise. It proves to be a game-changer, and in the end, the outcome can be excellent, which is what you want to rely on the most.
Doing a post-move verification
There’s no denying that moving expensive machinery can be tricky and there are certain things that could go wrong. That’s why you always want to streamline how you handle every operation and ensure that you verify everything properly and see there are no errors. The machine should always have vendor support. And if there is any issue, the vendor will provide you with the necessary guidance and help as much as possible here.
It also helps if you do a few test batches. That way, you will figure out if you can go to full production. If not, you will see what needs to be modified and then you can get back to production. It’s definitely a great idea to think about, and in doing so, you will always have a much better value and ROI.
Lastly, it helps if you do a post-move audit. The idea here is that you want to see what went well, what went wrong, and if there are things to improve. At the end f the day, you always want to narrow down what can be improved, and thankfully, there’s always something to learn.
Conclusion Expensive equipment can be difficult to move, and there are always risks that come from moving it. Clear communication, using the right insurance, having contingency plans, all these things matter a lot. Thankfully, once you create the right plan and use reliable machinery movers, it will be easier to relocate the machinery, and it will surely make things better in the end. We highly recommend taking your time, creating an adequate plan and focus on moving the machinery accordingly. That way, you minimize risks, while ensuring everything is moved properly.
