Factory relocations fail in predictable ways: a machine that cannot leave the building, a permit nobody applied for, a production line reinstalled in the wrong order. None of these are transport problems — they are planning problems that surface during transport. Here is the checklist we work through when a production facility moves within the UAE.
Before anything moves
1. Machine inventory with real numbers
List every machine with weight, dimensions, lifting points and condition. Nameplates and OEM manuals beat guesses — the difference between a 28-tonne and a 38-tonne press changes the trailer, the jacking plan and possibly the permit. Unknown weights get engineered estimates, flagged as such.
2. The two building surveys
Survey both ends: door and corridor dimensions, floor loading, ceiling height, crane access (or the lack of it), ramp gradients, yard space for trailers. The most common relocation surprise is a machine that entered the old building before a wall existed. Machines in crane-hostile spaces come out by hydraulic jacking and skidding — this is exactly what the method was built for.
3. The move sequence
Production lines restart in dependency order. The reinstallation sequence at the new site dictates the loading sequence at the old one — last in, first out. Write the sequence down and let it drive the trucking schedule, not the other way around.
4. Permits, early
Anything over-dimensional or overweight needs movement permits with real lead time — often one to two weeks. Identify the abnormal loads in week one and file immediately; standard loads can be scheduled around them. Our permits and escorts guide explains the thresholds.
During the move
5. Method statement per heavy machine
Each significant machine gets its own short method: how it comes off its foundation, how it travels to the vehicle (skidded, rolled, forklifted, craned), which trailer it rides (lowbed configuration matters), and how it is secured. This is the document that turns a risky day into a boring one — boring is the goal.
6. Protection and securing
Machined surfaces wrapped, exposed spindles braced, electrical cabinets sealed against dust, and engineered lashing on the trailer. UAE summer adds a real constraint: sensitive electronics and calibrated equipment should not sit in an unventilated box body through an August afternoon. Plan timing accordingly.
7. One accountable coordinator
Relocations involve your production team, the OEM, riggers, transport and the new landlord. The moves that go smoothly have one person — on the mover’s side — who owns the schedule and the phone number everyone calls. That is the service standard we run relocations to.
After the trucks leave
8. Positioning to marks, not “roughly there”
Machines get set on their new foundations to layout marks, level and ready for the OEM to recommission — skidded into position where cranes cannot reach. The relocation is finished when production restarts, not when the last trailer is empty.
The short version
Number the machines, survey both buildings, sequence the line, file permits early, write a method per heavy piece, and give the whole thing one owner. If you are planning a facility move anywhere in the UAE — a single press or an entire plant — talk to us at the survey stage, and see our pickup and moving solutions for the full scope.