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Machine movement in Grangemouth and across the Forth Valley
We provide machine movement in Grangemouth for engineering and fabrication firms, food and drink producers, chemical and process manufacturers, distribution sites and businesses around the docks, and public buildings across Falkirk district. We move single machines and full production lines: new installations, relocations from one site to another, moves inside a building, re-layouts to make room for new plant, and removals of equipment you no longer need. We also load, transport and store machinery, and deal with breakdowns.
We work across Grangemouth, Falkirk, Larbert, Stenhousemuir, Denny, Bonnybridge, Polmont and Bo’ness, and east to Linlithgow. Much of the low ground by the Forth is reclaimed carse land, so floors and standing are checked early. Most enquiries get a price the same working day from a desktop survey.
What a machine move involves
A move runs in a set order. The machine is disconnected and made safe, rigged and extracted, transported, then positioned, levelled and set down on its mounts. Some jobs need a crane and a low loader; plenty stay inside the building on jacks, skates and gantries. The choice comes down to the weight, the route out and how long you can manage without the machine.
What we move in Grangemouth
| Equipment | Where it usually is | How it moves |
|---|---|---|
| CNC machines, presses and fabrication plant | Engineering units on Earls Gate, Middlefield and Carronshore | Jacked up, put on skates and walked out to a trailer |
| Filling, bottling and packing lines | Food and drink producers across Falkirk district | Split into modules and rebuilt in running order during a production stop |
| Pumps, compressors, mixers and small vessels | Chemical and process manufacturers in the Forth Valley | Lifted out by crane or gantry once isolated and released under permit |
| Conveyors, sorters and handling equipment | Distribution units near the M9 and M876 | Dismantled between shifts and reinstalled to the new layout |
| Workshop plant and heavy stores equipment | Businesses in and around the docks | Low loader to hardstanding, then jacked and skated indoors |
| Chillers, generators and air handling units | Hospital, college and council plant rooms | Craned to the roof or skated in through a service entrance |
Tell us the weight, the size and where the machine is going. The machine movement service page covers how we work.
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 Grangemouth
Machine movement around Grangemouth comes from a spread of sectors.
Earls Gate, Middlefield and the Falkirk estates
Engineering, fabrication and distribution firms fill the estates at Earls Gate, Middlefield and Carronshore, with more around Larbert and Denny. Much of what we do on them is new machines arriving on a trailer, firms moving to a bigger unit and old plant going out for resale or scrap. See our industrial sector page.
Food and drink production
Producers across Falkirk district run filling, packing and processing lines that stop for short shutdowns and have to restart on time. We take a line apart in sections, mark every connection and rebuild it to the site’s hygiene rules. See our food and beverages page.
Chemicals and process
Chemical and process manufacturers in the Forth Valley replace pumps, compressors, mixers and small vessels during planned stops. Each move follows the isolation, and nothing is lifted until the area has been released under the site’s permit. See our chemicals sector page.
Distribution and logistics
When a warehouse along the M9 or M876 takes on new work, its conveyors, sorters and handling kit get changed to suit. We move them in stages between shifts so orders keep going out.
Businesses around the docks
Engineering workshops, stores and handling firms near the docks bring in new workshop plant, shift heavy equipment between units and clear out machines at the end of their life. See our maritime sector page.
Hospitals, colleges and council buildings
Public buildings across Falkirk district need chillers, generators, workshop machines and kitchen equipment changed while staff and students are in. Routes and times are agreed with the estates team first. See our healthcare and pharma and education pages.
Access and planning for a machine move in Grangemouth
Points we check on most Grangemouth jobs:
- Getting loads in and out. The M9 and M876 bring loads in from east and west, and the Kincardine and Clackmannanshire bridges cross the Forth to the north. Bridge heights and weight limits on the last few miles are checked before we quote.
- Reclaimed ground by the Forth. Carse land near the estuary can be soft, and many yards carry buried pipes and cables. Crane and trailer positions are set against service drawings and spread on mats where the ground needs it.
- Floors and pits. Machine bases, pits and trenches in older units are checked before a skate route is fixed, and steel plates go down where a slab needs help.
- Working times. Shutdowns, shift changes and weekend stops set when a machine can come out, so the crew and transport are booked around the hours you can give us.
- Road closures. Where a load-out needs part of a road or footway, we can arrange the traffic management and road closure with Falkirk 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 Grangemouth, heavy loads join the M9 close to the town and head for Edinburgh or Stirling, or take the M876 and M80 towards Glasgow.
Postcodes and areas we cover
We cover the FK postcodes around Grangemouth and the EH districts to the east:
- Grangemouth: the town centre, Bowhouse, Laurieston and Skinflats
- Falkirk district: Falkirk, Carron, Larbert, Stenhousemuir, Bonnybridge and Denny
- East along the Forth: Polmont, Bo’ness, Blackness, Linlithgow and Winchburgh
- Wider area: Stirling, Alloa, Kincardine, Cumbernauld and Livingston
We also move machinery right across the UK.
Why Grangemouth firms choose Synergy Lifting for machine movement
- Moved in the order you need them. On a relocation or re-layout we agree which machines have to be back in production first and plan the sequence from there.
- Priced from a proper look at the route. Doorways, floors, headroom and the way to the trailer are checked before the quote goes out, so the figure holds on the day.
- One firm from start to finish. The crane outside, the skates, jacks and gantries inside and the transport between sites are all 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 Grangemouth machine move can pull in other work, 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, 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
Our site runs a permit-to-work system. Can you fit in with it?
Yes. Our crew attend your inductions, work under your permits and isolations, and give your planners set-up, move and clear-away times they can put in the programme. Your team reviews the method statement and lift plan before a date is fixed.
Can you set a crane up on soft ground near the Forth?
Yes, once the ground has been checked. We look at the site’s service drawings and any ground information, then spread the outrigger loads with mats. Where a position still will not take the crane, we skate the machine to firmer standing and lift it from there.
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 Grangemouth
- Phone: 0131 608 0165
- Email: grangemouth@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 Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dumfries and Aberdeen. See all the machine movement locations.