Internal relocation of grinding machines and machining centers within a company

In sync with production: When it comes to installation projects in industrial facilities, it’s not always possible to simply stop production at a factory, which is why it’s important for the industrial service provider to have good planning expertise. This was the challenge posed by the job that SCHOLPP was commissioned to perform by Schneeberger GmbH in Höfen/Enz, Baden-Württemberg, near Pforzheim. A number of machines needed to be relocated within the factory.

Schneeberger has been working with SCHOLPP for a long time, and has been involved in several projects with the company over recent years. Founded in 1923, today SCHNEEBERGER stands for pioneering innovations in the area of linear technology. Its product and production portfolio includes linear guidance systems and profile-rail guidance systems as well as measuring systems, racks, linear tables, positioning systems and mineral casting. The products are delivered as equipment for customers in the machine tool industry, the semi-conductor, electronics and solar industries, the testing and measuring industry and the medical technology industry.

Transport solution for tight spatial conditions

At the Schneeberger production facility at the Höfen/Enz site, a number of machines needed to be relocated within the factory. The transport list included six long-bed grinding machines (each weighing 22 metric tons and measuring 14 meters in length) and three machining centers (each weighing 24 metric tons and measuring 6 meters in length). The first step of the job went smoothly: Removing the machines from an existing industrial hall and bringing them into a newly built facility. However, the size of the machines and the spatial conditions meant that they could not be transported to their destination via the shortest route across the company premises. Therefore, the planning phase involved finding a different route. The only solution was to transport the machines 400 meters down a public road.

The project involved typical steps for machine relocations, all of which were performed by SCHOLPP: Dismantling and removal from the old hall, loading and transportation to the new hall, unloading and lateral transport, positioning and providing support during the reinstallation of the respective machines. During the installation phase, the SCHOLPP team was responsible for all of the alignment work and for ensuring that the exact machine geometry was restored. The length of the machine meant that a lot of skill was required during handling.

Tightly scheduled relocation during ongoing production

The entire relocation process needed to be carried out in parallel with ongoing production. Schneeberger specified both the sequence of work for the machine relocations as well as the time frame. All of the necessary installation and transport work were adapted to the client’s production rhythm. Together with the Schneeberger production managers, the SCHOLPP planning and installation team were able to find a good balance between the installation requirements and the available time slots during ongoing production. All of the deadlines were met thanks to this close collaboration and the precise scheduling and organization.