How to Ship Large Items – Basics of Heavy Equipment Shipping
1 February 2016
Chances are, if you are involved in shipping heavy equipment, you have a lot invested in your endeavor. Whether you are transporting machines for an assembly line, industrial robots, large vehicles used for farming or construction, or a wafer polishing machine for a semiconductor business, you want to make sure your investment arrives in good condition. Partnering with an experienced packaging company that understands how to design and engineer for your particular needs, can go a long way toward achieving consistently successful outcomes.
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Getting Started
When selecting a packaging partner for heavy equipment shipping, make sure you know the full specifications of your equipment transport.
Size Matters – Depending on the size, shape, weight, dimensions and materials unique to your equipment, many early decisions need to be made.
- Will it need to be taken apart and reconstructed upon delivery?
- Even if it can be shipped in a single, large wood packing crate, is it more cost effective to break the load down into smaller components?
- If it ships in one piece, are there still things that need to be done to the equipment? (Outlets unplugged, batteries removed, fluids discharged, etc.)
- Will your job require riggers to dismantle and reassemble your heavy equipment?
- Will subcontractors be needed to take down and reconstruct doors or other parts of the building where the equipment is being stored?
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Moving Forward with Your Equipment Shipping
Specs Matter – Once your initial decisions have been made, it continues to be important to work with a packaging partner that knows how to package large items for shipping because questions continue to rise:
- How will your heavy equipment be shipped? By air, sea or land, or by a combination of these?
- Once you know this, what wood packing crate options are available to you?
- Is there an optimal type of skid base best used with your equipment shipping?
- Is the proposed packaging designed to meet designated load requirements?
- Will your equipment transport require custom blocking and bracing?
- Since nearly every journey involves time on a truck, is your wood shipping crate designed and engineered to withstand potholes and other road hazards?
- Will your contents need special protection from corrosion, including heat-sealed vapor barriers, film barriers, VCI’s (vapor corrosion inhibitors) or other forms of precautionary packaging.
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Getting There Safely
These are some of the many factors to think about when you are engaged in heavy equipment shipping. To ensure that your equipment transport is successful, we suggest that you work with experts like those at LPC because:
- You want to work with a company that is prepared to become your shipping partner
- There is no replacement for expertise in designing and engineering optimal shipping solutions
- You want a cooperative partner that works well with others and has ongoing, trustworthy relationships with quality riggers and transport companies
Protect your heavy equipment investment by working with experts in equipment transport.
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