Moving complex, valuable and heavy machinery across Europe is no small undertaking.
Trying to minimise operational downtime, ensure heavy machinery is lifted and moved carefully, and traverse international borders with ease requires a particular skill set and the right blend of experience, expertise and resource.
For businesses preparing to embark on machinery removal or a significant factory and production line relocation to a new site in Europe, finding a European moving partner entirely up to the job is imperative.
To help those carrying out due diligence on suppliers before awarding a contract, there are some vital attributes, skills and approaches to look out for.
Here are the top eight capabilities a European moving partner should possess:
- Planning
It may be a cliché, but to ‘fail to plan’ really is to ‘plan to fail’. A proven European moving partner will understand the importance of rigorous upfront planning to understand the parameters of the job and the equipment to be moved and to design risk out of the process. They will be keen to visit the site to familiarise themselves with the equipment in question as well as access to where it’s housed.
At AIS Eurelo, this is a strategically important part of our work and is necessary to understand the scope of work, timescales and budgets.
- Critical path
Closely linked to the planning stage, a proven European partner can provide a detailed critical path of works. This will form the project plan and include roles, responsibilities and deadlines. It will include details of the lift and move, including the logical sequence of events, a method statement, risk assessments and details of the project team and all associated equipment. This plan will also identify which tasks may need to be completed by the customer ahead of the project in preparation for the move partner’s arrival on site. It is partners that show a thorough approach to planning that will be most able to deliver a safe project on time and within budget.
The AIS Eurelo team prides itself on the quality of its meticulous preparation and planning.
The method statement and risk assessments draw on our decades of experience and provide the foundation for the project.
- Match the right equipment to the job
Successfully lifting and moving high-value assets can only happen if the right equipment is available. There is no one size fits all, and it’s never as simple as ‘just using a FLT’. Different equipment presents different logistical considerations. The ideal European moving partner will have a wide range of specialist lift and shift equipment at their disposal – including hydraulic jacks, skates and gantries to move heavy machinery as well as mobile, crawler and tower cranes and will be adept in a range of lift and shift methods.
At AIS Eurelo, we have a comprehensive in-house fleet of heavy machinery moving equipment that allows us to carry out even the heaviest, most complex and technical lifts safely and efficiently.
- True European reach
Moving valuable heavy equipment across international borders requires true European reach. This encompasses deploying trusted and skilled resources on the ground in the relevant countries as required, having access to the right skills and equipment when needed, and completing paperwork in the relevant local language, enabling safe and compliant passage without delay.
Well known as European cross-border machinery movers, AIS Eurelo has a proven European network with nine locations in the UK and Poland, supporting customers across all European countries, including Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia, with planning and implementing the movement of assets on a national, international and global basis.
- Skilled people
Experienced people deliver successful projects.
Successful equipment-moving projects require a blended team of multi-skilled professionals. The ideal European moving partner will have a highly experienced and multi-skilled team with a strong track record. They will understand project risks and be able to advise on the best methods to suit the unique needs of each task. And, if partners are calling on third-party support from specialist subcontractors, they will also meet the same level of expertise and professionalism.
At AIS Eurelo, we employ a 200+ strong team across Europe and pride ourselves on the skills, experience and expertise of our in-house project managers, health & safety advisors, fitters, riggers, HGV/HIAB drivers, warehouse and forklift truck operatives and welders.
- Project management
European equipment moves require proactive and professional management from contract award to project completion.
A dedicated project manager should be appointed to drive the project forward and work as the single point of contact for teams on the ground and the customer.
All AIS Eurelo projects have a dedicated project manager. The project manager takes a collaborative approach to planning the work, manages teams on the ground, including trusted and vetted subcontractors, provides regular and transparent communication and takes full responsibility for delivering the project safely, on time and within budget.
- Providing wider support and value
Moving a piece of equipment or even a whole factory is rarely a one-off activity. It is often part of a wider organisational restructure or a shift in commercial priorities. A strong European move partner will offer a range of expertise and complementary services that could be called on if projects expand in scope.
At AIS Eurelo, we are well placed, resourced and equipped to support customer briefs as they flex and expand because we offer a comprehensive service that includes factory and production line relocation, machinery relocation and installation, heavy complex and technical lifting, mechanical and electrical services, logistics, storage, re-shoring and shipping, asset realisation and CDM management. We also offer added value support by updating asset registers while on site and taking full CDM responsibility for projects.
The AIS Eurelo Way
Clients trust AIS Eurelo to deliver their mission-critical cross-border moving projects because we understand the importance of minimising operational downtime, managing and delivering projects safely, on time and within budget and have the European reach, expertise and resource to do the job right, every time.
These factors have earned AIS Eurelo its reputation as an industry leader in moving large-scale assets across Europe.
Contact us to discuss how AIS Eurelo could support your next industrial equipment moving project in Europe.