There are a few reasons why you may need to relocate your sheet metal fabrication plant: your business may have expanded, requiring more space, your location may no longer be convenient to access, or you lease may have finished. Any kind of factory or industrial relocation is a momentous task, with a lot of logistics and planning to be considered, so we’ve prepared a guide designed to make the process as smooth as possible.

sheet metal machinery

Draft a layout of the new location

You’ll need to draft a detailed layout/plan of your new facility in order to determine what will go where. Once you’ve drawn an accurate representation of the building’s existing floor layout, start adding in details like where your machinery will be housed, where you’ll need to add in features like shelving or other storage units, proposed break rooms, emergency exits, loading zones for stock distribution and more. By mapping out each section of your new sheet metal fabrication plant on paper, you’ll be able to gauge how appropriate your plans are, allowing you to effectively trouble-shoot before the big move.

Review your machinery and materials

The less you have to move to your new location, the better, so now is a great time to get rid of any old, faulty, or inefficient sheet metal machinery and equipment. Conduct a comprehensive audit of all your factory machinery, parts, and materials to determine which items should be relocated (this applies to machinery that needs to be refurbished), and which items need to be on-sold or scrapped. Getting rid of unnecessary machinery and materials, either through scrapping or liquidation, will not only lower your moving costs, it will also ensure your new facility is leaner and more efficient.

Develop a detailed schedule and pass this info on to contractors

Industrial relocations can take days, even weeks to be completed, so you’ll need to come up with a detailed schedule that staggers the move in the most efficient way possible, minimising downtime and disruption. This detailed schedule should not only outline which tasks are to be completed on each day, but also how each item is to be disassembled, packaged, loaded, and unloaded. If you’re working with contractors, be sure to communicate your plans and factory to them so that everyone is on the same page.

Create an inventory for the move

Before you begin packaging up your sheet metal machinery and other equipment, you should log each item to be transferred in the move. Create different stages for each item in the inventory e.g. disassembled, packed, loaded, unloaded, reassembled. This list will ensure you know the status and whereabouts of each item throughout the entire moving process.

If, after moving, you decide you need to replace or repair some of your sheet metal machinery, ACRA is here to help. We stock a huge range of new and used sheet metal machinery, including press brakes, punch and shears and laser cutters.