Everyone has to move at least once in their lives. Whether it’s to a new job, a new apartment, a new city or even a new country – nowadays it seems so easy to pack up your things and make your way – confidently or with a bit of trepidation – to somewhere new. But can the same be said when moving a company’s entire range of machinery to a different production location? Judge for yourself.
Printers and print finishing companies usually hire a relocation service when they move their machines from one production location to a new one. And although it would cost much more to replace an entire machine than the actual cost of the move by a competent company, many customers still hire low-cost relocation companies that are not specialized in transporting such machines or in dismantling and reinstalling them. So if something goes wrong, many customers, unfortunately, pay a high price.
If you‘re planning to move your machinery, make sure your relocation company takes account of the following factors:
Logistics
Detailed planning and adherence to schedules are crucial to ensure that the equipment is brought to your new location quickly and safely. Ask the company organizing the move if they will prepare a CAD layout to ensure that full account is taken of the physical space and that the necessary connections, such as electricity and ventilation, can be optimally planned.
End-to-End-Expertise
Many companies advertise themselves as relocation specialists. However, in many cases they are general contractors that hire service engineers, mechanics and truck drivers whose main focus is on the move. Such employees often lack the technical expertise necessary to reinstall the machines properly. By contrast, the trained technicians of an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) are completely familiar with the technical data and settings of your machine. Not only will they restore your machine to the proper level of performance, they can also make improvements during the reinstallation process if necessary.
Easy to Service
When you move a machine to a new location, you may need a certain amount of expertise to ensure that it performs at its original level – irrespective of the condition of the machine prior to the move. The ideal relocation provider should know how to fix any problems that arise when dismantling or reassembling a machine, and have quick access to original spare parts in order to accelerate any necessary repairs.
Training
Machines frequently also have new machine operators after they have been moved to a new production location. So the relocation company should be able to correctly identify the need for training and be able to offer appropriate training courses as required.
References
Relocation projects are quite a considerable financial risk for many companies. So the provider should be fully and comprehensively insured and licensed. Remember that an OEM stands behind its service and repairs, and typically offers a discount on spare parts related to the move.
Our track record shows that the most qualified and reliable relocation service provider is the OEM, which is able to offer a comprehensive service from start to finish and also provide support after the move. And thanks to forward-looking planning, workflow processes can also be improved at the same time, which will optimize your profitability over the long term. Working with Muller Martini will make your move much less stressful while also ensuring minimal costs, the shortest amount of downtime and the highest level of productivity at your new production location.
The teams at Muller Martini really did an excellent job. The machine relocations were completed very quickly. I was especially impressed by the outstanding cooperation between our employees and the employees from Muller Martini.
Minimal Risk When Moving Your Machine
Schär Druckverarbeitung AG in Wikon, Switzerland, for example, emphasized during the project planning stage that it wanted to continue focusing on its core competencies during the move so it could primarily still be available for their customers. That’s why the company chose the specialists at Muller Martini to move its three saddle stitchers. And they were successful – within just four weeks, faster than planned, the stitching machines were dismantled at the old production location and installed at the new one. The relocation was performed in stages so that Schär could keep production downtime to a minimum. Before the saddle stitchers were recommissioned, they were not only thoroughly cleaned, they were also reconditioned by experts in line with the findings of an extensive inspection. As a result, programming the settings, in particular, is much faster since the move. Furthermore, the move enabled the customer to optimize the position of the machine as well as the production sequence. As a result, Schär is able to produce its products more economically than before and respond to customer requirements more flexibly.
How did we carry out the complete relocation of all of our machines in just four weeks? With the help of good project planning, seamless collaboration and the excellent know-how of the technicians at Muller Martini.
Optimized Processes and Stable Printing Quality
Wailandt’sche Druckerei in Aschaffenburg, Germany, (wda) was also able to complete its move within just four weeks thanks to its collaboration with Muller Martini. During the move, each of its two printing presses was only offline for two weeks at a time, so wda was able to continue operations at all times using the press that was not being moved and reconditioned. By combining the move with the reconditioning of the two printing presses wda also ensured that the printing quality would remain stable over the long term, reduced downtime and improved machine uptime at wda. Furthermore, the positioning of all machines, which was well thought-out in advance, has substantially optimized all processes and streamlined the production sequence.
wda was especially impressed by the ease of collaboration with Muller Martini, with some two-thirds of their questions being answered over the phone by the technicians personally.
Muller Martini offers you the following advantages:
- Expert partner thanks to many years of experience
- Flexible and customer-specific advice
- Project management by experienced Muller Martini specialists
- Complete organization of all desired measures, including a review of all security, quality and performance-related aspects.
- Thorough analysis of the new location regarding the size of the space, machine data, the required tools and any additional resources needed for the planned move.
- The move is carried out by Muller Martini specialists
- Complete dismantling, modification, assembly and recommissioning of the equipment
- Minimal production downtime
- Training and production support, as required
- At the same time, production processes can be optimized
Muller Martini carefully plans and efficiently carries out more than 150 relocations annually.
