At Can Ridge, we find a lot of our customers have similar questions when they’re starting out with us. While we always handle each customer as a unique and important project, we thought it would be useful to provide answers to some of the more common questions in our monthly customer email.
Question: What do you do to ensure our machinery is moved safely and correctly?
To make sure your machinery is moved efficiently, safely and professionally, we develop a detailed end-to-end plan for every move. This plan addresses all aspects of your move, including potential difficulties and a close look at all the details.
Answer:
Starting with the basics
As simple as it may sound, the first thing we do is check the shipping and handling section of the manufacturer’s installation manual, if it’s available. While most machines are designed to be placed once and not be moved, others will have wheels or other features that allow them to be moved. We assess these features to see if they will meet the specific requirements for the move – for example, if the wheels can handle the dips or uneven surfaces on a loading dock. The manual is also used to determine whether the machine needs to be top picked or bottom picked for loading.
Access to the building is another big consideration. The 360 Industrial Movers team analyses the type of floor within the premises to determine what approach we will take during the move. Inexperienced or unprofessional movers will often simply wrap a set of chains around the machine and drag it. Our approach always takes into account the best options given the parameters of the move, including machinery specs, building and floor specs, and any other requirements.
Managing the moving parts
Our crews also look into whether there are any specific moving parts that need to be locked out during a move, such as the head stock on a CNC machine to prevent damage to the equipment.
Similarly, we also determine whether the machinery contains any fluid and whether it needs to be removed. This may seem like a small point, but in one real example, the 360 Industrial Movers team was contacted by a panicked equipment owner who had a piece of machinery leaking oil into the middle of a busy intersection during a move. When we arrived to assist, there were cars spinning out of control on the oil covering the road. No major accidents happened, but you can see the potential is there if this small detail isn’t considered!
Another piece of the puzzle is the co-ordination with other parties. We make sure we’re on top of the timing of the delivery of the equipment and always ask for the carrier’s name and the trucking company so we can co-ordinate the logistics of the move to ensure a safe, streamlined process.
Details in getting the job done
With all the details involved in the “moving” part of the move, it can be easy to overlook the final destination of a piece of equipment. At 360 Industrial Movers, we never miss this aspect of the job, ensuring a detailed assessment of the final location is completed. Often, our service includes simulating the final placement of the machine in its new location through visual means like an AutoCAD drawing. We do this to ensure the machine will fit and have the access necessary for safe operation.
In a nutshell, there are a lot of details, big and small, involved in any move – and at 360 Industrial Movers, we ensure they’re all taken care of so that you have peace of mind!