Heavy Machinery Movers – March Focus

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.

Heavy Machinery Movers

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.

The examples below highlight just a few of the heavy machinery moving projects that we completed during March 2020.

RELOCATION OF METAL CUTTING MACHINERY FOR A NOTTINGHAMSHIRE BASED ENGINEERING COMPANY

Having originally installed CNC machinery for this engineering customer five years previously, Merritts were appointed to be part of an internal machinery move project. The company wanted to relocate various heavy machines to another area of the facility as part of a production streamlining process.

Aspects of this project included:

  • Mechanical and electrical dismantling prior to removal
  • Jacking of machinery and placing onto specialist machinery moving skates
  • A Versa-Lift 25/35 was used to tow the heavier machinery through the facility to its new destination
  • 7Te rated forklift trucks were used to relocate the ancillary items
  • Machinery was positioned and levelled as requested in the new location
  • Merritts carried out the mechanical and electrical reconnection of the machinery

One of the main challenges with this project was the need to overcome access restrictions between production areas:

“Merritts showed immense skill in the execution of the project. The dimensions of the doorways were extremely close to those of the machinery and necessitated extreme precision in handling, and excellent communication between personnel.” [Facilities Manager]

COLLECTION, DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION OF INJECTION MOULDING MACHINERY

This project included the collection, delivery and installation of two machines on behalf of the largest Brazilian manufacturer of plastic injection moulding machinery.

  • Collection of injection moulding machinery from manufacturer’s premises in Warwickshire. Machinery was loaded to Merritts trailers and secured for transit.
  • The machinery was transported to Merritts secure industrial storage facility where it was temporarily stored for a week until the receiving site was ready for the install.
  • When the site was ready, Merritts reloaded the heavy machinery ready for transport and delivery to the manufacturer’s customer; a leading pipe system manufacturer.
  • The specialist heavy machinery lifting equipment included 2 x Versa-Lift 60/80 forklift trucks to tandem lift the clamp unit sections of the machines and place onto machinery moving skates. The clamp units were then towed into the facility with a remote controlled Versa-Lift 60/80.
  • The injection units were lifted and carried into the facility with a Versa-Lift 60/80.
  • Ancillary items were offloaded with Merritts’ 7Te rated forklift trucks and transported inside the building.
  • Over the following days, Merritts assisted the manufacturer’s engineers with the assembly of the machines using Versa-Lifts and 7Te rated fork trucks.

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

The client’s Operations Manager had this to say following another successful project completion:

“Please pass on our sincere thanks to your operatives for their hard work today. They adhered and embraced our safety culture in the highest regard in every aspect and were a credit to Merritts in the best possible way. We will definitely continue to use Merritts’ services for future projects.”

MACHINE RELOCATION FOR A FOOD & DRINK PACKAGING COMPANY

Merritts was approached by a provider of innovative custom injection moulded plastic packaging solutions to complete a machinery relocation project on behalf of a food and drink packaging company.  Their client needed a number of injection moulding machines to be removed, relocated and installed at another factory as part of a restructuring project which also involved the installation of several new machines.

This complex restructuring project necessitated a phased relocation of production machinery as follows:

Disposal of Redundant Machinery

 Following disconnection of services and draining of oils, Merritts engineers removed the machines from site and arranged heavy machinery transportation to a ferrous waste recycling site.

Internal Machinery Moves

All internal machinery moves were scheduled and executed through a process of jacking and skating to avoid any disruption to ongoing production. Particular challenges included a tight working environment and steep internal ramps within the factory.

Heavy Machinery Transportation to Other Sites

Machines destined for their other facilities in Nottinghamshire were disconnected, dismantled and removed from the production areas. A lorry mounted crane and a Versa-Lift truck were used to load the machinery onto Merritts’ transport. A combination of low loaders and euroliners were utilised in this scenario.

Interim Storage

To enable well-timed integration of machinery into other sites, Merritts provided a short term storage provision within its secure industrial storage warehouse.

Throughout the project Merritts were required to work to the strict health and safety requirements of a hygiene site.

Equipment utilised for this project included:

  • Lorry mounted crane with 30Te lifting capacity
  • Electric Versa-Lift fork truck
  • Specialist rigging tackle
  • Low loaders and covered transport

COVID 19 UPDATE

Please rest assured that Merritts are following all Government guidelines to ensure we can work safely during the Coronavirus pandemic. The safety of our staff and customers is of paramount importance and we are currently implementing a number of measures in order to continue to safely carry out work throughout these difficult times.

These measures include:

  • All operatives to travel in separate vehicles
  • Following the 2m social distancing guideline
  • Wearing of face masks if required
  • Washing hands/using hand sanitizer on a regular basis
  • Gloves to be worn at all times
  • Food to be eaten alone

For as long as it is safe to do so, we will continue to help our clients carry out heavy machine moving projects as we believe this will help manufacturers to resume production as quickly and efficiently as possible as soon as these restrictions are lifted.

If it is not possible to provide the safest working environment for all persons concerned, we will not carry out the work.

Merritts are Safe Contractor accredited, and as part of our comprehensive process, can provide advice on all your machinery moving requirements, as wells as offer free site visits within the UK.

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.

April 9, 2020 by James Merritt

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