What Does Machinery Relocation Really Cost?

Over the years, the company has built particularly deep experience in the corrugated board, packaging and paper industries. BOBST, Göpfert, BHS Corrugated and EMBA — for Tadas, these aren’t simply names from a catalogue. They are machines and production lines his teams have prepared for relocation, separated into transportable sections, lifted, moved and installed again.

We asked him about one thing buyers sometimes underestimate when planning a relocation: why the contractor’s quote is only part of the real economic cost of moving a machine.

CORRUGA.EXPERT: A client asks how much it costs to move a machine. Is that the wrong question?

Tadas Šalkauskas: It’s an incomplete question.

In most of our projects, we agree a fixed price based on a clearly defined scope of work. If we underestimate how much time or effort it takes to complete that scope, that’s our problem, not the client’s.

But the relocation price is only one part of the equation. The higher cost can be production downtime. An extra week or month without that machine running can cost the client far more than the difference between two relocation offers.

So I never let a client stop at the price of the move. I ask them to count days as well.

CORRUGA.EXPERT: Days of what?

Šalkauskas: Days when that machine isn’t producing.

Every company can calculate the cost of that differently. The important thing is to understand what one day of downtime actually costs your business and multiply that by the expected number of days the machine will be out of production.

That number can easily become much larger than the difference between two relocation offers.

If you compare contractors only by the price of dismantling, transport and installation, the cheapest offer can turn out to be the most expensive decision.

CORRUGA.EXPERT: What’s the second question?

Šalkauskas: How long will the relocation actually keep the machine out of production?

The total project duration and the machine’s downtime are not the same thing. A lot of planning and preparation can happen while the machine is still running.

The critical period starts when production stops and we begin the relocation work. From that point, every unnecessary day matters.

Our job is to make that part of the project as short, controlled and predictable as possible, so the machine can be handed over for the next stage without avoidable delays.

CORRUGA.EXPERT: You’ve worked extensively with BOBST. Which other brands pass through your hands?

Šalkauskas: BOBST is the brand we have the most experience with. Göpfert would come next.

Over the years, we’ve relocated a wide range of equipment from both manufacturers, from individual machines to larger production lines.

We’ve also worked with equipment from other manufacturers in the corrugated and packaging industry, including BHS Corrugated, EMBA, and others.

Every machine is different when you start preparing it for relocation. The way it is divided into transportable sections, how those sections need to be supported and lifted, and the sequence of dismantling and installation can vary significantly.

That’s one of the areas where experience really matters.

CORRUGA.EXPERT: BOBST also offers its own service and remanufacturing solutions. Can that ever happen at the same time as a relocation project?

Šalkauskas: It can happen at the same time, but these are completely separate scopes.

Our responsibility is the relocation. If the client wants to use the same production shutdown to carry out service, repairs or refurbishment, they can invite BOBST or another OEM service team to do that work separately.

For the client, the timing can make sense. The machine is already stopped because it is being relocated, so this may be a convenient opportunity to carry out work that would otherwise require another production stop later.

But it is important to keep the responsibilities clear: we relocate the machine, while any service, repair or refurbishment work is arranged by the client directly with the OEM.

CORRUGA.EXPERT: What do you learn about a machine during relocation that a buyer may never see?

Šalkauskas: One of the most important things is that the machine you see on site may no longer be exactly the machine shown in the original drawings.

Over the years, equipment gets modified. Cable routes change, additional components are added, connections are moved, and small practical solutions appear that may never make it into the documentation.

That is why, when we disconnect the machine and separate it into transportable sections, we document how everything is actually connected and positioned.

When the machine is installed again, you cannot rely on old drawings alone. You need to rebuild it according to the real configuration that was working before the move.

Good documentation during dismantling saves a lot of questions during installation.

CORRUGA.EXPERT: What’s your advice to a company planning a relocation in the coming months?

Šalkauskas: Calculate two numbers before you sign anything.

First, what one day of downtime costs for this specific machine.

Second, how much downtime the relocation plan actually requires and what the contractor is committing to within its scope.

The lowest price for dismantling, transport and installation tells you very little about either of those numbers.

A good relocation plan is not only about moving the machine from one factory to another. It is about making the period without production as short, controlled and predictable as possible.

Tadas Šalkauskas is the CEO of MachineryAssist, a company specialising in industrial machinery relocation and installation across a wide range of manufacturing industries. MachineryAssist has extensive experience in the corrugated board, packaging and paper sectors, with projects completed across Europe and worldwide.