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Machine movement in Bournemouth and across Dorset
We provide machine movement in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch for engineering firms, marine businesses, manufacturers, hotels, hospitals and universities. The work covers one machine or a full line: installing new equipment, relocating a business between sites, moving plant within a building to fit something new in, and taking out machinery that is being sold or scrapped. We also handle loading, transport, storage and breakdowns. There is no motorway into the conurbation, so the road approach is planned before we price the job.
We work across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Hurn, Ferndown, Wimborne and Ringwood, and out to Swanage, Wareham, Blandford and Dorchester. Most enquiries get a price the same working day from a desktop survey.
What a machine move involves
The sequence runs from disconnecting the machine and making it safe, to rigging and extraction, transport, then positioning and levelling on its mounts. Some moves need a crane and a low loader. Others stay inside the building and are done with jacks, skates and a gantry. The weight, the route out and how long you can stop production decide which.
What we move in Bournemouth
| Equipment | Where it usually is | How it moves |
|---|---|---|
| Machine tools and test equipment | Aerospace and electronics firms on the business parks at Hurn | Skated in on a protected floor route and set on its prepared base |
| Presses, moulding and fabrication machinery | Manufacturing units on the Poole and Ferndown estates | Lifted on jacks, run out on skates, then craned onto a trailer |
| Boatyard and workshop machinery | Marine businesses around Poole Harbour and Hamworthy | Crane and low loader from the yard or quayside |
| Chillers, air handling units and lift plant | Hotels and venues on the East and West Cliff | Craned from the service yard or street, then skated to the plant room |
| Scanners and laboratory equipment | Hospital and university buildings in the conurbation | Air skates or a compact gantry through corridors and doorways |
| Generators and switchgear | Plant rooms, substations and commercial buildings | Trailer to hardstanding, then jacked and rolled into position |
Tell us the weight, the dimensions and where the machine is going, and we will work out what the move needs. 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 Bournemouth
Our machine movement work in Bournemouth comes from a handful of sectors.
Aerospace and engineering at Hurn
Aerospace and precision engineering firms fill the business parks at Hurn. When they add capacity, a new machine tool or test rig comes in and has to be set down exactly where the manufacturer’s drawing puts it. We also move whole workshops between units. See our aerospace sector page.
Poole Harbour and marine
Boatbuilders and repair yards around the harbour replace workshop machinery and shift handling equipment as their work changes. Lifts near the water are planned around vessel movements and the state of the quay. See our maritime sector page.
The Poole and Ferndown estates
Manufacturers and trade firms on these estates call us in for new installs, re-layouts, moves between units and clearances when a lease ends. Yards are larger than in town, so a crane can set up next to the door. See our industrial sector page.
Hotels, venues and plant rooms
The town’s hotel and conference estate runs a lot of heavy plant. Chillers and air handling units get swapped out of season or overnight so rooms and events carry on. See our HVAC sector page.
Hospitals and universities
The hospital estate and two universities need scanners and lab equipment moved while buildings are occupied, or during a vacation shutdown. We agree routes with the estates team before the day. See our healthcare and pharma and education pages.
New buildings and fit-outs
On commercial and residential schemes, plant and equipment has to be in place before the building is closed up. We deliver it, lift it in and position it to the contractor’s programme. See our construction sector page.
Access and planning for a machine move in Bournemouth
Points we check on most Bournemouth jobs:
- Getting loads in and out. The M27 ends well to the east, so heavy loads arrive on the A31 and the A338, or along the A35 from the west. We plan the route and the time of travel before we quote.
- Cliff-top and seafront sites. Hotels on the cliff top tend to have tight, sloping service yards with the public close by. We set out exclusion zones and marshal pedestrians while the machine is loaded.
- Floors and ground. Skates and jacks put a big load on a small area, so we check slab capacity inside and ground bearing outside, including sand and harbourside fill, and lay plates or mats where the figures need them.
- When we can work. Factories give us a weekend or a planned shutdown. Hotels and venues want the job done out of season or early in the morning, and we book the crew to suit.
- Road closures. Where a load-out needs part of a road or pavement, we can arrange the traffic management and road closure with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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 Bournemouth, heavy loads leave by the A338 and A31 towards Ringwood and the M27, or along the A35 to the west.
Postcodes and areas we cover
We cover every BH postcode and the districts around Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch:
- Bournemouth: town centre, Boscombe, Southbourne, Winton, Charminster and Kinson
- Poole: Parkstone, Branksome, Hamworthy, Upton and Lytchett
- East and north: Christchurch, Hurn, Ferndown, Wimborne, Ringwood and Verwood
- Wider area: Swanage, Wareham, Blandford, Dorchester, Salisbury and Southampton
We also move machinery right across the UK.
Why Bournemouth firms choose Synergy Lifting for machine movement
- At home on quays and in machine shops. We load machinery out beside Poole Harbour and set machine tools to the drawing in Hurn workshops.
- Comfortable in occupied buildings. Hotels, hospitals, offices and factories that keep working around us are normal jobs, done out of hours when that suits you.
- One firm from start to finish. The crane outside and the skates, jacks and gantries inside, plus the transport, are ours and run by our own people.
- 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 Bournemouth machine move can bring in other work too, so we also offer:
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 from a desktop survey, usually the same working day. 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, then handed over for your engineers to reconnect and commission.
Common questions
Can you move plant out of a hotel that is still open?
Yes. We book an overnight or out-of-season slot, keep guests clear of the route and the crane, and arrange any bay suspension or short closure outside. Send us the dates you can give up and we will plan inside them.
Can you load machinery at a quayside in Poole Harbour?
Yes. We confirm what the quay or yard will carry with the operator, check vessel movements and the tide, and set the crane and trailer positions to suit before the day.
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. Breakdown work is prioritised because production has usually stopped. Call us with the machine details and we will give you a firm attendance time on the call.
Get a quote for machine movement in Bournemouth
- Phone: 01202 618 113
- Email: bournemouth@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 Southampton, Portsmouth, Bristol and Reading. See all the machine movement locations.