Factory relocation

Relocating a factory is an enormous challenge

Relocating a factory usually requires a great deal of logistical and technical effort and can very quickly become unmanageable. To prevent this from happening, the help of external experts is essential for a complete or even partial relocation. To avoid coordination problems between several subcontractors, a service provider that can offer the most comprehensive catalogue of services possible, including planning, transport and machine installation, is always preferable. The industrial service provider SCHOLPP offers this service according to the 'one-source principle': from planning the relocation of operations to making all machines ready for operation at the new location. For more than 65 years, SCHOLPP has been travelling the world for customers from all industries to relocate factories.

From dismantling to recommissioning

SCHOLPP realises complete plant relocations including planning, dismantling, transport, reassembly and support for recommissioning. SCHOLPP liaises in detail with the customer and the machine manufacturers prior to the relocation of entire plants. A detailed schedule is drawn up together. This planning includes on-site inspections at the customer's premises. In accordance with the production plan, the possible time windows for commissioning are determined in order to guarantee rapid restoration of production readiness. Depending on the space available in the factory halls, the preliminary planning of the lifting and transport equipment locations is also essential for a smooth relocation process.

Good organisation during factory relocation

The dismantling and reassembly work must be planned depending on how the production of the plant is organised. The sequence of the relocation, i.e. which machine is relocated first and which machine is relocated second, can play a major role depending on the layout of the factory halls. Space for manoeuvring is often limited. Every production relocation therefore has its own rules; some machines must be relocated before all other machines. Occasionally, certain machines or systems prove to be a bottleneck in the overall process of factory relocation. This may be due to their size, weight or certain demanding assembly work. In this case, the SCHOLPP planning team adapts the schedule accordingly. Dismantling and reassembly must be synchronised in the overall relocation process so that a rapid return to operation can be guaranteed. The SCHOLPP team uses special tools for measuring the final positioning during reassembly. Should the need arise at short notice to speed up the rigging work, SCHOLPP can quickly mobilise additional manpower.

Rapid factory relocation by strong work

The complete relocation realised by a permanent SCHOLPP team; the customer has one contact person. For certain subtasks during the relocation, the project managers call on specialists. In this way, SCHOLPP keeps the internal division of labour efficiently organised. In addition, the interfaces for cooperating with machine manufacturers during plant relocations and machine rigging are clearly defined and well-rehearsed thanks to long-standing partnerships and experience.

A bonus is the equipment

In addition to comprehensive expertise and creative solutions to relocation problems, the SCHOLPP Group offers state-of-the-art equipment that is unrivalled in Europe. SCHOLPP's fleet of vehicles and equipment includes not only a wide variety of cranes and transport vehicles, but also lifting gantries, in-plant rollers and customised devices specially developed for machine transport. This means that SCHOLPP is not only able to relocate your factory quickly and efficiently, but also safely. With our seven locations within Germany and four more worldwide, we have a contact person for your near relocation.

It seemed impossible, but SCHOLPP made it happen: during the relocation of R + W Antriebselemente GmbH, a large number of components had to be dismantled, transported and reassembled in a very short time. Detailed planning, staff schedule and close co-operation with the customer brought us to the goal. R + W produces precision couplings for high-performance drives and heavy-duty industrial couplings with maximum safety. The company places high demands on its products: they must be fast, precise and safe. This requirement also applies to service providers for company relocations.

Relocating a factory: a major project with high demands

Haring built new site, the entire operation had to be relocated from Klingenberg to Wörth am Main, three kilometres south of Aschaffenburg, Germany. In recent years, SCHOLPP had already impressed with its expertise on several smaller assembly projects involving the relocation of machine parts, such as the installation and removal of milling machines, and was awarded for this major project to relocate an entire factory.

The relocation included the entire production of the Klingenberg site and several smaller branches. Everything was brought together in the new plant in Wörth. The largest components, seven machining centres, weighed up to 10 tons and the largest dimensions were 4.50 x 2.50 m. The SCHOLPP team was responsible for dismantling, loading, transporting and reassembling all the machines during the relocation.

Complex plant relocation: keeping the overview, managing tasks

The company's relocation list also included many smaller machines, manual workstations, all production equipment and computer workstations. In total, there were around 100,000 items on the packing list for this company relocation. Keeping the overview was an organisational challenge, especially because R + W carried out an inventory at the same time as the relocation and switched to a new storage system.

Due to the large number of small parts, the fitters had to be particularly skillful, and a lot of manual work was required. It was very important to keep an eye on the total project during the relocation and to handle all parts in a logistically sensible manner. To achieve this in such a short time required a lot of experience, summarised the SCHOLPP project management. Find out more...