Plant relocation essay

Business growth and/or new product lines may be pressing companies to move their operations to larger facilities to keep up with increasing demand. Other companies may simply be responding to changing market pressures by relocating closer to their customers or supplier network.

Each relocation project comes with unique challenges. Detailed planning and communication in the beginning yields successful projects. Accurate and detailed layout drawings of the donor facility where the equipment is currently located are required to plan for equipment location within the destination facility.

When the equipment and utilities are connected, the relocation contractor should perform a preliminary test to confirm motor rotations are correct, all utilities are energized and the equipment functions. At this point, the equipment is considered mechanically complete.

Overhead requirements such as cranes, monorails, conveyors and tooling rails also require structural coordination. If the relocation is taking place within a "hot" facility (operational) or from a "hot" facility to a "cold" facility (non-operational), temporary or redundant utilities may be required to maintain operations.