5 Steps To A Greener Industrial Move

If you're unfamiliar with the ins and outs of environmentally friendly business, you might be surprised to learn that you can even make a warehouse or factory relocation cleaner and greener. Of course, there are plenty of good techniques for controlling the impact your industrial move has on the environment. Follow these five steps to make sure the move goes smoothly for the good of both your company and the world around you.

Create A Complete Relocation Plan

Start by getting all your workers involved in planning and arranging the move. Even with the professionals handling the hard work of disconnecting and hauling your manufacturing equipment onto the trucks, you'll still need employee help with

• Cleaning and shutting down all the machinery prior to the arrival of the movers
• Organization and packing of smaller parts and equipment that doesn't need a hydraulic lift to support the weight
• Determining what equipment to keep, sell, recycle, or replace in the relocation process
• Planning the actual move so it has as little impact as possible on your operating schedule.

Relocation plans prevent you from wasting electricity and truck fuel on moving mistakes. If the flatbed truck has to make extra trips because you accidentally take a piece of equipment you agreed to leave behind, you'll be responsible for creating unnecessary pollution and wasting resources.

Drain And Recycle The Fluids

Does any of your equipment feature high tech cleansers, strong acids, or flammable lubricants and fuels? You need to carefully drain all of these kinds of fluids out of every piece of machinery, right down to removing ink and toner cartridges from the printers you use for creating sales invoices. Trying to travel without cleaning out the fluids could create a dangerous spill that threatens the health of both the environment and the workers handling the machinery. It's also against the rules set by the Department of Transportation. Separate each fluid and take it to an appropriate recycling center, then invest in brand new lubricants and fuels when you arrive at the new location.

Sell Off Unnecessary Materials And Equipment

Every manufacturing plant or packing warehouse accumulates a few extra shelving units, forklift attachments, or worn out grinder blades sitting in a back room. Instead of leaving a mess behind or tossing everything into a dumpster, sell off any raw materials or equipment that is still useful in any way. If you can't sell the unwanted stuff to anyone else in the industry, take it for recycling. Even if you have to pay for the recycling of some materials, you can earn the money to cover those fees by taking valuable metals and other supplies to a scrap yard that pays.

Use Recyclable Packing Materials

All types of moves, including industrial ones, create a surprising amount of waste after everything is unpacked. Stick with shipping crates built from lumber and reinforced with reusable ratchet straps for the biggest pieces so that you can sell the crates back to the moving company afterwards, which saves trees and money at the same time. Cardboard boxes, bubble wrap made from the right type of plastic, and styrofoam peanuts that are biodegradable also increase the green quotient of your move.

Control Losses To Reduce Waste

Finally, make sure your industrial movers take all the extra steps to ensure the safety of your equipment. Reducing damage means fewer replacements and less machinery taking up space in the landfill. Even when the industrial movers are paying to replace the items damaged in the move, it's still more environmentally friendly to keep using the same stamping presses or extra wide vinyl printers for as long as possible.