Recounting a Complex International Factory Relocation

Project Summary

• Relocated 1,000 tonnes of manufacturing plant across 4 countries (UK, Denmark, Poland, Germany) for SPX APV in 3 months, covering 42,000 truck-miles as primary contractor for the full pan-European integration.
• Delivered end-to-end turnkey scope — decommissioning, dismantling, rigging, packing, shipping, installation, cross-border compliance, and CE testing — with on-site project controllers fluent in each local language.
• Ensured full EEC Safety Directive compliance at receiving sites during re-installation and testing, while also handling chemical disposal and H&S assessments during decommissioning at the originating sites.

Introduction

Consolidation, restructuring and global relocations are among the latest manufacturing industry trends. As manufacturing industries address the challenge of constantly evolving competitive markets, there’s never been a greater need for a reliable, experienced equipment or factory relocation partner.

SPX APV needed that special relocation partner

Moving complete manufacturing plants involves much more than just ‘packing equipment and shipping it’, as SPX APV, a leading supplier of process engineering and automation solutions to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries realised. When APV had to undertake a major three-month European manufacturing factory relocation and integration, they needed a special relocation and logistics partner with proven understanding of manufacturing’s unique needs able to provide a pan-European turnkey relocation.

Four countries, four languages and demanding timescales

Manufacturing logistics rarely come more complex. Four countries, four languages, a tight three-month business rationalisation timescale, 1000 tonnes of specialised manufacturing plant and 42,000 truck-miles were a challenge. But for UK-based IES, it represented the type of relocation project that has made us a preferred partner of the aerospace, automotive, food and pharmaceutical industries – for clients such as Airbus, Cadbury, GE and Rolls-Royce.

Do you need to move manufacturing equipment, production lines, or an entire factory? Read about our turnkey factory relocation solutions

Perfectly suited to a turnkey solution

At IES, we work directly for clients or with their project management partners. On this occasion, the SPX APV project, encompassing the UK, Denmark, Poland and Germany, was perfect for our turnkey service. As the primary contractors, appointed after the client’s exhaustive review of potential suppliers, we provided the following services for several critically-timed pan-European factory relocations:

• Complete project management
• Process documentation
• Decommissioning
• Dismantling
• Rigging
• Packing
• Shipping
• Installation
• Cross-border compliance
• Commissioning and testing
• CE testing

Accustomed to handling multi-million pound relocations

With a typical ‘can do’ approach, IES rose to the considerable challenges of the SPX APV move.  As a specialist engineering and logistics partner, IES regularly handles multi-million pound relocations for high technology OEMs and the manufacturing industry – with this track record, safely relocating SPX APV in three countries was no problem.

Our project controllers, each with local-language fluency, were assigned on-site to plan and execute equipment moves with key SPX APV personnel. Next, highly skilled IES engineers decommissioned machinery, implemented H&S assessments, appointed specialist subcontractors and disposed of chemicals and obsolete equipment. At the receiving sites, we then managed the re-installation and testing of equipment, ensuring full compliance with EEC Safety Directives.

"I have no reservations in recommending IES"

Speaking after the relocation’s successful completion on-time and to budget, the SPX APV Integration Program Manager, said:

“The complexity of the integration project called for an experienced relocation company that was fully capable of genuine international operations…I have no reservations in recommending IES to your potential customers for factory relocations.”

Pan-European factory consolidations are high-stakes projects that demand a trusted partner with proven international experience. We've delivered them successfully.