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Machine movement in Sunderland and across Tyne and Wear
We provide machine movement in Sunderland for vehicle and component makers, engineering firms, port businesses and hospitals across Wearside and Tyne and Wear. That means single machines and whole lines: new installations, relocations between sites, internal moves and re-layouts, and removal of old plant, with loading, transport and storage as needed.
We are based in Darlington and work across Sunderland, Pallion, Southwick, Doxford, Washington, Houghton-le-Spring, Hetton-le-Hole and Seaham. Moves in the centre are planned around the Metro and the Wear bridges. Most enquiries get a price the same working day from a desktop survey.
What a machine move involves
Each move runs in the same order: disconnection and making safe, rigging and extraction, transport, then positioning, levelling and setting down on mounts. Some jobs call for a crane and a low loader. Others stay indoors, on jacks and skates or under a gantry. Which we use comes down to the weight of the machine and the route out of the building.
What we move in Sunderland
| Equipment | Where it usually is | How it moves |
|---|---|---|
| Presses, robot cells and tooling | Vehicle and component plants west of the city and around Washington | Jacked and skated to the door, then craned onto a low loader |
| CNC machining centres and lathes | Engineering units at Pallion, Southwick and Doxford | Skated across the floor to a new bay or out to the trailer |
| Fabrication plant and plate rolls | Riverside works and the port | Lifted from the yard or quay straight onto transport |
| Assembly and battery line equipment | Supply chain sites near the A19 and A1231 | Split into modules, moved in sequence and rebuilt to a new layout |
| Scanners, lab and teaching equipment | Hospital, university and college buildings | Air skates along a protected route to marked positions |
| Pumps, compressors and generators | Utility, waste and recycling sites | Lifted off the plinth and trailered to the new location |
Tell us the weight, the dimensions and where the machine is going, and we will work out the method. Our machine movement service page explains the process in more detail.
Contact us
Get In Touch
Please leave a few details and a member of our machine movement team will be in touch to discuss your requirements in more detail.
Where we work in and around Sunderland
Our Sunderland machine moves come from a handful of sectors.
Vehicle manufacturing and its suppliers
Car production on the western edge of the city feeds a chain of component and battery suppliers around Washington. A model change brings presses and robot cells out and new ones in, and a supplier winning new work may need its line re-laid. See our automotive sector page.
The port and the riverside
At the port and the fabrication firms along the Wear, plant moves between quay, yard and workshop. Ground at the water’s edge is checked before a crane stands on it, and lifts are booked around vessel movements. See our maritime sector page.
Washington, Doxford and Pallion
Manufacturing and distribution businesses fill these estates. A firm outgrowing its unit may only move a few miles along the A19, and we take the machines out and set them down in the new building on one programme. New installs and clear-outs come through too. See our industrial sector page.
City centre and riverside development
New buildings in the centre and by the river need chillers and air handling units taken into plant rooms and onto roofs while the fit-out carries on. Plots are tight, so each delivery is sequenced with the main contractor. See our construction and HVAC pages.
Hospitals, universities and schools
Scanners and plant room machinery get moved with staff and patients around. Hospitals agree a route with us through their estates team, and colleges tend to keep bigger jobs for the holidays. See our healthcare and pharma and education pages.
Rail, utilities and waste
Rail maintenance equipment and substation plant move inside a booked possession or outage, planned back from the operator’s date. At recycling sites, shredders and balers are swapped during planned downtime. See our rail and waste and recycling pages.
Access and planning for a machine move in Sunderland
Points we check on most Sunderland jobs:
- Getting loads in and out. The A19 runs past the city east of the A1(M), with the A690 and A1231 coming in from either side. We check low bridges and weight limits on both routes before we quote.
- The Metro and the Wear crossings. A crane near the Metro’s overhead lines needs clearances, and sometimes an isolation, agreed in advance. Heavy loads leaving the centre are routed over a bridge rated for them.
- Floors and ground. Land by the river is largely made ground, and parts of the district sit on old colliery workings. We confirm what the floor or yard will carry before fixing a skate route or crane position.
- Shutdowns and shift patterns. Factories here plan around weekend stops and summer shutdowns, and we set the crew and transport so the machine is levelled before your restart.
- Road closures. Where a load-out needs part of a road or pavement, we can arrange the traffic management and road closure with Sunderland City Council.
Moving large or heavy machinery by road
A vehicle and load over 44,000kg gross, 2.9m wide or 18.65m long is an abnormal load. Up to 80,000kg the highway and bridge authorities need two clear working days’ notice through ESDAL, rising to five above that, when the police need notice too. Loads over 2.9m wide or 18.65m long also need two clear working days’ notice to the police. Above 150,000kg or 6.1m wide a Special Order is needed, applied for about ten weeks ahead. We handle the notifications ourselves or with your haulier. From Sunderland, heavy loads usually head south on the A19 or west along the A1231 to the A1(M).
Postcodes and areas we cover
We cover every SR postcode and the towns around Wearside:
- Sunderland: Monkwearmouth, Roker, Seaburn, the city centre, Southwick, Pallion, Silksworth and Doxford
- West: Washington, Penshaw, Houghton-le-Spring, Hetton-le-Hole and Chester-le-Street
- South and coast: Ryhope, Seaham, Murton, Easington and Peterlee
- Wider area: South Shields, Gateshead, Newcastle, Durham and Hartlepool
We also move machinery right across the UK.
Why Sunderland firms choose Synergy Lifting for machine movement
- Based down the road. We are in Darlington, a short run up the A19, so a Sunderland breakdown can be attended the same day.
- Used to production sites. Vehicle and component plants here work to tight changeover programmes, and we plan the crew and transport back from your restart date.
- One firm from start to finish. The crane, skates, jacks, gantries and transport are ours, and our own people run them from extraction to set-down.
- Qualified and accredited. CPCS and NPORS operators, lifts planned to BS 7121, equipment inspected under LOLER and PUWER, SSIP approved, Constructionline Gold Member, certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, and members of the Construction Plant-hire Association.
More than machine movement
A Sunderland machine move often needs one or two of these as well:
How a machine move works
- Send us the weight and dimensions, where the machine is now, where it is going and your dates. Photos help.
- We price it, usually the same working day from a desktop survey. Complex moves may need a site visit first.
- We prepare the method statement, risk assessment and lift plan.
- On the day we rig, extract, transport and position the machine.
- It is set down and levelled, ready for your engineers to reconnect and commission.
Common questions
Can you move our machines between two Wearside sites over a weekend?
Yes, where the machines and the distance allow. Extraction starts when production stops, the loads travel on the Saturday, and Sunday goes on positioning and levelling. A bigger relocation is split across several weekends so each line comes back in turn.
Our site is next to the Metro. Does that affect the move?
Only if a crane is needed outside. The overhead lines set a minimum distance for the boom and the load, and some positions need the power isolating, which is booked ahead. Send us the address early.
Who disconnects and reconnects the machine?
Mechanical disconnection and making safe is usually ours, and we position the machine precisely enough for commissioning. Electrical and control reconnection is coordinated with your own engineers or the machine manufacturer, and who covers what is agreed at survey stage.
Can you move a machine that has broken down?
Yes. We are based in Darlington, so we can attend a Sunderland breakdown the same day. Call us with the machine details and we will confirm the time on the call.
Get a quote for machine movement in Sunderland
- Phone: 0191 313 0049
- Email: sunderland@synergy-lifting.co.uk
Send us the weight, the dimensions and both locations, with a few photos if you have them.
We also provide machine movement in Newcastle, Durham, Hartlepool and Teesside. See all the machine movement locations.