Reducing Costs When Relocating Equipment and Technology
By Phil Burnett,
Vice President, National Account Sales
Technical Transportation, Inc
When organizations and businesses purchase big equipment and technology (think complex equipment such as diagnostic analyzers laboratory refrigerators & freezers, and CT scanners), that equipment often means a significant capital expense, sometimes in the millions of dollars. In other cases, the machine itself may just be on lease from the manufacturer, with the consumable/dispensable products being the focus of revenue for the retailer or end establishment (examples being pharmaceutical drug dispensing machines, or retail-front coin & cash recyclers, POS kiosks, and vending machines).
Given the high price tag of the equipment in either scenario, many companies who bought or own those machines naturally try to extend the use and value of that equipment for as long as possible. This could mean that there may come a time when the equipment must be moved for repurposing, everything will be done to carefully and safely relocate the equipment rather than scrapping it altogether and buying the latest-and-greatest.
For example, in a healthcare setting a hospital lab may choose to move its equipment from one building to another as part of an expansion. Or a clinic might be opening a satellite office and must relocate certain machines to the new location, to make room for newer equipment coming in.
Relocation may also make sense in a leasing situation, where the machine is on loan by a retail or other similar establishment; since the manufacturer still owns that machine, in most cases they will want to extend the life of the machine for as long as possible, and will look to relocate the equipment — rather than destroy it — if the retailer wants to make room for a newer model or other equipment.
Unfortunately, moving this big equipment from Point A to Point B is not as simple as moving furniture from one house to another. It requires specialists for each phase of the move, including disassembly, packaging, white glove delivery, set-up and even software installation / calibration.
It’s a situation that can be costly – and unnecessarily so – if not handled properly.
Instead of finding different specialists to handle each part of the project, or using a manufacturer’s internal resources to handle this non-revenue task, it is often optimal to find a logistics partner that could efficiently and cost-effectively take that burden off the manufacturer’s hands.
Finding a single-source provider with a turnkey relocation solution is important if looking to reduce costs, because they likely have the processes and partnerships already in place to get the job done efficiently.
And if at all possible, you need to find a logistics partner that has experience in your industry, and preferably with the type of products you provide. This will help reduce the learning curve and offer another layer of quality assurance to the process.
Have Questions?
At TechTrans, we have the expertise to offer turnkey relocation services for multiple industries. If you have questions about your equipment’s relocation needs, feel free to contact us today.
