Factory Relocation: Helping You Move Smoothly

Experts in Plant, Machinery & Factory Relocation

Factory relocation specialists understand that no two moves are alike. The challenges of relocating a pharmaceutical cleanroom differ vastly from shifting an automotive stamping plant or repositioning a food processing line. At Synergy Lifting, our extensive experience spans sectors including automotive, food & beverage, healthcare/pharma, power & renewables, and aerospace – each with their own regulatory requirements and precision demands.

Our project manager works directly with your Engineering, Production, and Health and Safety teams to sequence the relocation around live operations. This collaborative approach ensures we protect manufacturing demand while delivering your equipment safely to its new location.

 

Our specialist approach includes:

• • Moving CNC machines, bottling lines, injection moulding machines, industrial ovens, hydraulic presses, and much more
  • Planning around production-critical dates such as year-end shutdowns, contract start dates, and seasonal peaks
  • Coordinating mechanical and electrical disconnection with reconnection and positioning at the receiving site
  • Providing technical guidance on floor loading, access routes, and crane positioning at both locations
  • Sequencing moves to bring production lines back online incrementally, reducing overall downtime
  • Managing associated items including racking, mezzanines, and ancillary equipment

What You Need to Consider During a Factory Relocation

Before any machinery and equipment leaves your current site, careful planning makes the difference between a successful move and a costly disruption. Here’s what needs addressing:

 

Production and Timeline Considerations:

• • Confirm your production cutover date and work backwards to establish realistic milestones
  • Map all assets including ancillary equipment, spare parts, tooling, and documentation
  • Understand new site floor loadings, column spacing, and ceiling heights

 

Technical and Infrastructure Requirements:

• • Assess power supplies (415V/3-phase), compressed air, chilled water, and data connections at the new site
  • Identify working at height requirements and confined access challenges
  • Determine lifting equipment needs including mobile cranes, plant, gantry systems, etc.
  • Plan for electrical disconnection and reconnection sequences

 

Health, Safety and Compliance:

• • Develop comprehensive risk assessment and method statement documentation
  • Clarify CDM duties and coordination with the principal contractor where applicable
  • Prepare job safety plans, permits to work, and lift plans
  • Address safety regulations for abnormal load movements and night-time operations

 

Logistics and Contingency Planning:

• • Arrange abnormal load permits and local authority notifications for oversized transport
  • Coordinate with landlords at both the sending and receiving sites
  • Build in contingency: critical spares, backup power, weather plans for outdoor lifting, and buffer days

How Synergy Lifting Delivers a Factory Relocation Project

A successful factory move follows a structured process from first contact through to production restart. Here’s how we approach each stage:

 

Initial Consultation and Site Surveys:

• • Respond rapidly to your enquiry with preliminary discussions on scope, timeline, and budget
  • Conduct detailed site visit assessments at both sending and receiving facilities
  • Measure key access routes, doorways, and lifting positions
  • Photograph existing equipment and note condition for pre-move records

 

Planning and Programme Development:

• • Create a comprehensive asset register covering all machinery, ancillaries, and services
  • Produce lift studies and sequence plans for critical equipment
  • Develop a detailed programme with clear milestones and downtime forecasts
  • Align the plan with your production teams and shutdown window

 

Execution at the Sending Site:

• • Complete mechanical and electrical isolation in coordination with your facilities team
  • Dismantle, de-rig, and prepare equipment for transport
  • Execute heavy lifting and shifting using cranes, skates, and jacking systems
  • Pack and protect sensitive components for transit

 

Transport and Logistics:

• • Manage haulage including abnormal loads, escort vehicles, and overnight movements
  • Coordinate arrival times at the new location with installation crews
  • Handle customs and logistics documentation for international moves

 

Installation and Equipment Positioning:

• • Unload, position, level, and secure equipment at the new site, preparing for commissioning
  • Complete alignment and bolting down as required
  • Provide full documentation and handover packs

 

We can operate during nights, weekends, and full shutdowns to meet challenging relocation dates while maintaining safety and quality throughout.

Sector Experience & Typical Factory Relocation Projects

We have successfully completed factory relocations and major internal moves across a wide range of industries. Each sector brings unique challenges, and our expert team adapts our approach to meet specific requirements.

 

Typical sectors and project examples:

Sector	Typical Equipment Moved
Food & Beverage	Bottling lines, conveyors, ovens, chillers, packaging machinery
Automotive	Stamping presses, robotic welding cells, paint booths, assembly lines
Aerospace	Autoclaves, composite layup equipment, precision machining centres
Pharma/Healthcare	Cleanroom equipment, packaging lines, tablet presses, filling machines
Power & Renewables	Turbines, generators, transformer equipment, switchgear
Plastics & Metals	Injection moulding machines, CNC lathes, laser cutters, furnaces

 

We handle sensitive and high-value equipment including precision CNC machines, equipment with strict contamination controls, and pharma packaging lines subject to validation requirements.

Our relocation services support both UK-to-UK moves (for example, from the Midlands to the North West) and international exports.

 

Example Factory Relocation Scenario

To illustrate how we work, consider this scenario: a Midlands-based manufacturer needed to relocate part of a pressing line to a new facility 120 miles north, with production restarting for the first full week of January.

The client’s managing director approved a 10-day Christmas shutdown window for the entire move. Our team worked 24/7 shifts throughout the holiday period, beginning with mechanical and electrical disconnection on day one. Mobile cranes extracted the main press and ancillary equipment, while our transport team managed load movements.

At the new site, we had pre-positioned lifting equipment and prepared foundations. Installation proceeded in sequence, with the main press positioned and secured by day eight. The remaining production equipment followed, with final placement completed on day nine. The production teams carried out their own validation on day ten, achieving a seamless transition and hitting the restart date with zero major disruption. The project demonstrated how detailed planning, round-the-clock execution, and integrated expertise deliver results when timelines are non-negotiable.

Our Factory Relocation Process in Detail

Understanding each stage of a factory relocation helps you plan effectively and set realistic expectations. Here’s a granular breakdown of our process:

 

Stage 1: Initial Enquiry and Quotation

We respond to your enquiry promptly with initial questions about scope, timeline, and access. Our team provides budgetary estimates quickly, followed by detailed quotations after site surveys.

 

Stage 2: Site Surveys and Assessment

We visit both your current and new site to assess equipment, access routes, floor conditions, and lifting requirements. We laser measure critical dimensions and document everything photographically.

 

Stage 3: Proposal and Programme

You receive a comprehensive proposal including methodology, programme, and pricing. Timings, access constraints, and production priorities are agreed upfront and locked into a formal programme.

 

Stage 4: Pre-Move Preparations

We finalise documentation and mobilise equipment. Your team prepares machinery for disconnection according to our guidance.

 

Stage 5: Execution at Sending Site

Disconnecting, dismantling, and extraction is completed. Equipment is packed, protected, and loaded for transport.

 

Stage 6: Transport

We manage all haulage logistics, including abnormal loads, police notifications, and escort vehicles where required.

 

Stage 7: Installation and Equipment Positioning

Equipment arrives on schedule. We unload, position, level, and secure all machinery in its final location, ready for commissioning.

 

Stage 8: Handover

We assist with providing full documentation and handover packs. Your production teams take control of validated, operational equipment.

Important Steps for Clients Planning a Factory Relocation

Preparing internally is just as important as choosing the right relocation partner. Here’s your practical to-do list:

 

Internal Preparation:

• • Appoint a dedicated internal project lead with authority to make decisions
  • Agree a realistic shutdown window with input from production, sales, and operations
  • Finalise asset and spares lists – don’t forget tooling, jigs, and documentation
  • Confirm new factory layout and material flows before the move begins

 

Early Coordination with Synergy Lifting:

• • Arrange site surveys at both current and new locations as early as possible
  • Request lift studies and access checks to identify potential constraints
  • Share equipment specifications, weights, and dimensions for accurate planning

 

Stakeholder Management:

• • Inform landlords at both sites of access requirements and timings
  • Communicate with key customers about potential lead time impacts
  • Brief your supply chain partners on temporary address or contact changes

 

Internal Communications:

• • Create a communication plan so all departments understand their responsibilities
  • Schedule pre-move briefings for staff affected by the relocation
  • Establish clear protocols for reporting issues during the move

Why Choose Synergy Lifting for Your Factory Relocation?

When you’re undertaking a factory relocation, you need a trusted partner who delivers seamless transitions with minimum impact on your operations. Synergy Lifting combines nationwide capability, technical expertise, and round-the-clock availability to protect your production and your timeline.

 

What sets us apart:

• • Nationwide coverage: We operate across the UK with the capability to support international moves
  • 24/7/365 availability: Your factory doesn’t stop for weekends, and neither do we
  • In-house lifting equipment: Our fleet of mobile cranes, plant, and heavy rigging equipment is ready when you need it
  • Multi-discipline expertise: Crane hire, contract lifting, machine movement, haulage, steel erection and dismantling, and plant strip-out under one roof
  • Experienced project management: Dedicated project managers coordinate every detail from first survey to final handover

 

Why our integrated approach works:

Our multi-service offer reduces the risks involved in coordinating multiple contractors. You get tailored solutions designed around your specific requirements, delivered by teams who work together daily and understand how each discipline interconnects.

We have proven experience with time-critical shutdowns where every hour counts, complex access conditions requiring innovative lifting solutions, and highly regulated environments in pharma, food, and power sectors where ensuring compliance is non-negotiable.

 

Ready to discuss your factory relocation?

Whether you’re relocating across town or across the country, we’re here to help you plan and execute a move that keeps your business running efficiently. Contact Synergy Lifting today to:

• • Request a quotation for your upcoming factory move
  • Book a site survey to assess your current and new facilities
  • Arrange a project consultation to discuss timelines, scope, and approach

Let our expert team take the complexity out of your relocation project, delivering the absolute minimum downtime and maximum confidence in every phase.