LONG-TERM MACHINERY MOVING ON A LARGE SCALE

When an international manufacturing company decided to consolidate their multiple facilities in the United States into one location in Lakewood, WA, Walker Brothers’ partner company, Omega Morgan stepped in to help, providing long-term machinery moving services to relocate over 115 spindle machines and more that 300 additional components.

STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR HEAVY EQUIPMENT MOVES

From the start of this project, Walker Brothers’ partner company collaborated closely with their customer for several months, devising a plan for moving the large volume of machines ranging in size from extremely heavy equipment such as the spindle machines and the Okuma MA-600 (which weighs over 54,000 pounds) to smaller items like filter units and chillers weighing between 300 to 500 pounds.

When designing this plan, they also had to account for and adhere to strict timelines set by lease-expirations at the customer’s other facilities. Planning when the various groups of machinery would need to be delivered, received, and installed was crucial to ensuring the project’s success.

Once the team had a plan in place, the crew received the first group of equipment from the New Hampshire facility. They moved the machinery using 15K, Hoist 40/60, and Versalift 60/80 forklifts, and utilized three and four-axle trucks with lowboy, step deck, and double drop trailers to transport the equipment to the Lakewood facility.

MACHINERY MOVING SOLUTIONS

Throughout the delivery and installation process at the Lakewood facility, the partner company’s crew encountered obstacles such as broken asphalt and limited access for forklifts and parking due to ongoing construction at the customer’s facility. In these instances, flexibility proved to be a true asset. The crew was able to navigate these hiccups through effective communication and coordination.

Another challenge the partner company faced was having to switch gears and adapt to the manufacturing company’s production demands. Occasionally, the crew had to alter plans when the customer required more machines of a particular type to be installed immediately for production reasons.

The crew also learned as they installed the equipment, that each machine needed to be anchored to steel plates in order for weight to be safely distributed. Again, the partner company faced these obstacles head on, adapting seamlessly to the needs of the customer.

RELIABLE LONG-TERM MACHINERY MOVING

To date, the majority of the machines and components have been moved, but this large-scale moving project remains ongoing, with approximately one move completed per week for the remaining equipment.

Thanks to careful planning and adaptability throughout the prolonged relocation process, Walker Brothers’ partner company has consistently met their customer’s expectations for reliability and operational excellence.