2022 Heavy Machinery Moving Overview

As 2023 gets fully underway, in our article we highlight some the key heavy machinery moving projects we carried out through 2022 which provides an insight into our operational expertise.

Factory Relocation | Heavy Machinery Moving

Merritts work across multiple sectors, regularly carrying out over 100 heavy machinery removal, installation and transportation projects per month. We provide the world’s leading machinery manufacturers with specialist machinery moving, lifting, installation and storage services.

Having recently celebrated our 100th anniversary, we know that from our history that a major aspect of the service we provide is our commitment to health and safety. For each project, our H&S Department, headed by an ex HSE inspector, provides customers with a suite of documents to evidence our credentials. These include method statements, risk assessments, lift plans, personnel training records and plant and equipment inspection certificates. This helps to ensure all projects will be carried out safely and in accordance with the required legislation.

OFFLOAD AND INSTALL NEW PACKAGING MANUFACTURING MACHINERY

Merritts were appointed by a world leading provider of paper based packaging to assist with the installation of their new packaging manufacturing machinery at their newly constructed facility. Works were carried out over a 13 week period.

Equipment utilised:

  • JMG MC580 Pick& Carry Crane
  • JMG MC160 Pick & Carry Crane
  • Versa-Lift 60/80
  • Versa-Lift 25/35
  • 7Te rated forklift trucks
  • 3Te rated forklift trucks
  • Rigging Tackle.

Personnel:

Aa well as a dedicated project manager, a crew of up to 8 multi-skilled operatives was utilised throughout the project. This consisted of:

  • Foreman
  • Mechanical Fitters
  • Lead Riggers
  • HGV Drivers

Services Provided:

  • Dedicated project manager
  • Health & safety documentation
  • Organisation of trackway installation
  • Provision of lifting equipment and rigging services to safely offload machinery from delivery transport
  • De-crating and unpacking of the machinery
  • Skating of machinery into position
  • Building of machinery
  • Assist OEM engineers with commissioning of the machinery
  • Assisting with the installation of services steelwork
  • Weekend working

Health and Safety:

Working under CDM regulations for the project duration, the Merritts health & safety team ensured the correct documentation and systems were in place to provide a safe working environment:

  • An in-depth site survey was carried out to understand potential site-specific hazards.
  • Risk assessments, method statement and detailed lift plans were created and approved before commencement of works.
  • All Merritts’ plant, lifting equipment and machine moving tackle is regularly tested and fully certificated.
  • All Merritts operatives undertake an on-going training and development program to promote multi-skilling and safe working practices

A message from the client’s Technical Project Co-ordinator:

“I wanted to pass on my thanks to yourselves and the Merritts team for all your support with the project. I think I speak on behalf of everyone on site when I say that the personnel you’ve had here have been outstanding. It has been said on numerous occasions that not only is their willingness and quality of work fantastic, but they also ensured the job was carried out safely”.

VACUUM FURNACE INSTALLATION FOR THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY

Merritts carried out the installation works of a 25Te vacuum furnace for a leading manufacturer in the aerospace industry. Throughout this 8 week project, works included:

  • Installation of floor plates to ensure adequate protection from heavy lift plant.
  • Offloading, specialist rigging and positioning of furnace sections within machine pit.
  • Electrical and mechanical connections.
  • The project was supported by a full time project manager and health & safety advisor.

The specialist equipment used for this project included:

  • Versa-Lift 40/60 with 27Te lift and carry capacity
  • 7Te fork lift trucks
  • Powered access equipment
  • Specialist tackle vans
  • Overhead cranage

STORAGE, DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION OF CUTTING-EDGE BLADE COATING MACHINERY FOR THE AVIATION INDUSTRY

A two month project involving the installation of blade coating machinery for one of our aerospace clients. Works for this project include:

  • Delivery of machinery on 20 x trailers which we offloaded into our warehouses and stored for approx. 4 weeks.
  • Installation of floor plates at the installation site to ensure adequate protection from heavy lift plant.
  • Rigging, lifting and positioning of the machine parts and the full mechanical, electrical and pipework installation through to commissioning.
  • This project is supported by a full time project manager and health & safety advisor.

The specialist equipment used for this project included:

  • Enerpac Super-Lift hydraulic gantry with 125Te capacity
  • Versa-Lift 60/80 with 36Te lift and carry capacity
  • Versa-Lift 40/60 with 27Te lift and carry capacity
  • 7Te fork lift trucks
  • Powered access equipment
  • Specialist tackle vans

COLLECTION AND DELIVERY OF A DMG MORI CNC MACHINE FOR ONE OF THE LARGEST INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN EUROPE

Merritts carried out the collection, temporary storage and onward delivery and install of a DMG Mori CNC machine. A brief scope of works included:

  • Collection of 14Te DMG Mori CNC machine and ancillary parts from Germany
  • Offload into Merritts secure warehouse for temporary storage
  • Onward delivery to a customer facility in Cambridge
  • Offloading and unpacking of machinery
  • Assembly and positioning of the machinery within the facility

INDUSTRIAL STORAGE AND ONWARD DELIVERY OF LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING PRESSES

As part of this project, Merritts were appointed to receive lithographic printing presses and store them securely in our HMRC bonded storage facility. We then delivered and carried out the new machinery installation within the premises of the leading London based print company.

The new print machinery was delivered to Merritts where we offloaded it into our HMRC approved bonded warehousing facility. A lorry mounted crane with 30Te capacity was used to offload the shipping containers to floor level. The machinery cases were removed from the containers using a Versa-Lift 40/60 fork truck. The items were condition checked and photographic evidence was taken before they were then entered into the bonded facility. Merritts handled all relevant paperwork including customs clearance documentation.

When the installation site was ready to accept the new lithographic print machinery, Merritts completed the following:

  • Loaded print cases to Merritts transport and secured for transit
  • Delivered machinery to the customer
  • Offloaded machinery using Versa-Lift
  • Unpacked and removed print units from transit frames
  • Skated items into the facility and positioned as required
  • Worked with manufacturer’s engineers to assemble machine sections
  • Cleared site of packaging material and transit frames

RELOCATION OF ENGINEERING AND LABORATORY EQUIPMENT FOR A MIDLANDS UNIVERSITY

The university were looking to consolidate machinery and equipment from numerous multifloored buildings to another location on campus as part of a major relocation project. Relocation works were carried out over an 8-week period. Main aspects of the project included:

  • Detailed project planning to ensure there was no disruption to the students’ lesson schedules
  • Removal of both heavy machinery and sensitive laboratory equipment
  • Provision of portable transit crates for the efficient removal of smaller items. These were loaded to our specialist vehicles for safe delivery
  • Creating suitable access. This included increasing the size of doorways, the erection of scaffolding and the use of specialist gantries
  • Professional packaging services to ensure adequate protection of items

Following the move, our client had this to say regarding our services: 

“The project was planned meticulously, ensuring the works remained on track throughout. All equipment was relocated safely, and the site team were extremely helpful from start to finish. I would certainly approach Merritts again in the future”.

DISMANTLING, TRANSPORT, AND REBUILDING OF WELDED MESH PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT

We were approached by a long-established British manufacturer of building and construction products to assist with the dismantling, relocation and rebuilding of welded mesh production equipment. The machinery was to be removed from a site in Barnsley and relocated to the customer’s site in Gainsborough. This project involved:

  • 2 x mechanical engineers, lifting equipment and all required tools and tackle to assist the customer’s engineers on site in Barnsley, over a 2-week period, to dismantle the welded mesh production lines. Once dismantled, the equipment was loaded to Merritts transport
  • 4 x trailers were provided to safely transport the machinery from Barnsley to the customer’s site in Gainsborough, where Merritts then offloaded into the facility
  • Again, 2 x mechanical engineers, lifting equipment and all required tools and tackle were provided to assist with the rebuilding of the equipment at the customer’s premises, over a 2-week period
  • The customer’s engineers then carried out the commissioning of the equipment

The client’s Project Manager had this to say, following successful project completion:

“We received a fantastic service from the Merritts team. They are a credit to your company. Absolutely everything went to plan, and all parties were happy with the service provided. We would certainly approach you again in the future.” 

COLLECTION, OFFLOADING, UNPACKING AND INSTALLATION OF 2 x SEYI PRESSES

Merritts were tasked with the installation of 2 x SEYI SLG2-400-S5 presses for a West Midlands based engineering company predominantly operating in the fields of power presses, coil handling equipment & automation systems. The works comprised of the collection of machinery from docks, transportation to site, offloading and unpacking, moving into the facility, assembly, and connection. Works were completed over a 4 week period.

Equipment Utilised:

  • Merritts HGV’s & Trailers
  • Enerpac Superlift Gantry SL125
  • 7Te Forklift Truck
  • 60/80 Versa-Lift
  • 40/60 Versa-Lift
  • 25/35 Versa-Lift
  • Access equipment
  • Specialist Tackle

Services Included:

  • Collection of 8 x flat rack trailers from the docks
  • Offloading of crated machinery using Versa-Lift 60/80
  • Restitution of flat racks back to docks
  • Unpacking of machinery from the steel and timber cases
  • The base frame sections of the machines were lifted by Versa-Lift 40/60 and Versa-Lift 60/80 and placed onto machinery moving skates and positioned in front of the awaiting machine pits
  • Installation of steel plates within the facility to ensure adequate floor protection
  • Utilisation of Enerpac Superlift gantry to lift and lower the machine’s base frames into the machine pits.
  • Lift the presses slide sections into the base frames with the Versa-Lift 60/80
  • Insert the machine’s tie bars into the side frame sections with the assistance of Versa-Lift 25/35 and 7Te forklift truck
  • Vertically orientate the side sections using Versa-Lift 40/60 and Versa-Lift 25/35 and insert into the base frame
  • Machine crowns were tandem lifted with 2 x Versa-Lift 60/80’s and positioned onto the presses side frame sections
  • Merritts assisted the client’s engineers with the installation of the ancillary equipment

Following the installation, the client’s engineers carried out the commissioning of the machines.

The client’s Operations Director had this to say, following successful project completion:

“I would like to say a big thank you to Merritts. The project planning and execution was delivered to an exceptional standard, resulting in a smooth installation. Your site operatives are a credit to your company. They were extremely helpful, and nothing was too much trouble. We hope to work with Merritts again in the future.”

If you are considering a heavy machinery removal, relocation, or installation project, need to temporarily store new or redundant heavy machinery, or simply need space to carry out servicing and maintenance, please get in touch.

We’ll be back next month with another update, but until then you can follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for more regular news from our team.

January 19, 2023 by James Merritt

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