Factory relocations are high-stakes projects.
They can bring with them disruption, downtime, and operational risk. But with the right planning and execution, they don’t have to derail your business.
At IES, we’ve supported equipment relocations across a wide range of industries, from high-tech manufacturing to laboratory environments and production facilities. When done right, a move can be completed with minimal disruption and zero damage.
Here are eight tips to ensure your next complex move goes smoothly and stress-free.
When considering a move, your top priorities should be to protect your people, your assets, and your production schedule.
That’s why it’s crucial to involve a specialist equipment relocation partner as early as possible. A team experienced in heavy, sensitive, or high-tech equipment will be able to spot risks and complexities that others might miss.
At the very beginning, gather as much information as you can, including:
The earlier this insight is fed into your planning, the better the result.
A successful equipment move hinges on meticulous planning at every stage.
That includes:
The more detailed your planning, the fewer surprises you’ll face during the move itself.
See our article: Factory Relocation: Method Statements and Risk Assessments
When relocating complex or high-value equipment, you need more than movers. You need specialist engineers.
Your relocation team should include experts in decommissioning, installation, decontamination (if needed), and lifting strategy.
These specialists will assess risk from a technical perspective and help design a move strategy that prevents damage and speeds up reinstallation.
It’s essential that key members of your move team (especially your site supervisor) visit both locations in advance. This ensures nothing is left to chance and gives everyone a clear picture of the environment they’ll be working in.
See our article: Who’s Who in Your Factory Relocation Project?
Communication is the glue that holds a complex relocation together.
From planning to execution, all stakeholders (including internal teams, external contractors and transport suppliers) must be kept aligned.
Your equipment relocation partner should facilitate this, providing a single point of contact and daily updates throughout the move.
Strong, centralised communication helps resolve problems faster, avoids duplication, and ensures you stay on schedule.
The right plant for the job is vital to avoid damage. Not just to your equipment, but to your site, access roads, and handling surfaces.
Before the move begins, make sure your relocation team has assessed:
Details matter. The smallest oversight (whether it’s door width, floor clearance or restricted height) can delay an entire project.
Before work begins, your engineers should complete thorough technical site surveys at both ends of the move. This includes:
Every aspect of the move should be reviewed against a checklist before the first lift takes place.
A well-prepared site is a safe and efficient one.
See our article: 6 Things to Consider When Planning an Equipment Relocation Project
Even with the most detailed plans, things can change.
Load weights might be different from spec, surfaces may not support heavy lifts or weather conditions could shift.
What matters is how quickly and safely your team can adapt.
Make sure your relocation partner has the infrastructure, equipment and expertise to respond in real time. That might include sourcing steel road plates, adjusting routes, or pausing a move to reassess safety.
Experience, flexibility and the ability to react under pressure are what keep complex projects moving.
To ensure coordination and accountability, your project needs one central point of contact. That is, someone who owns the move from planning through to completion.
This person should:
A single point of contact builds confidence, streamlines communication, and ensures no detail is missed, particularly when schedules shift or challenges arise.
Whether you’re in the microelectronics, semiconductor, pharma or other high-technology industries, our turnkey equipment relocation service covers every single step of your project, from initial site surveys and decontamination to freighting, installation and certification.
Head to our Turnkey Relocations service page here for more.