Machinery and Industrial Plant Logistics

Moving a machine is not a freight problem with an engineering footnote. It is an engineering problem with a freight leg in the middle. The questions that decide whether it goes well are asked long before a vessel is booked: where can this be lifted, what does it weigh with the crate on, will it pass through the factory door at the other end, and who is taking responsibility for disconnecting and recommissioning it. Nostrac Shipping moves machine tools, production lines, generators, presses and complete plant for manufacturers, dealers and end users, and we work backwards from the installation point to the loading bay so that the last hundred metres, which is where these jobs usually fail, is planned first.

What We Handle

Machinery covers a wide range of jobs, and each needs a different answer:

• Machine tools — Lathes, mills, presses, grinders and CNC equipment, usually crated, often sensitive to shock and vibration, and frequently needing precise positioning at the receiving end.
• Production lines and complete plant — Multi piece shipments where sequence matters as much as speed. The line is loaded and delivered in installation order so the receiving engineers are not unpacking crate fourteen to get at crate two.
• Generators, compressors and pumps — Skid mounted units that ship well once fluids are dealt with and lifting points are confirmed.
• Construction and materials handling equipment — Excavators, loaders, forklifts and cranes, which often travel on roll on roll off services or on flat racks depending on the lane and the dimensions.
• Second hand and relocated plant — Equipment coming out of a working factory, where dismantling, marking and a full inventory are the difference between a smooth reinstallation and a very expensive puzzle.
• Spares and tooling — The consignments that follow the machine and are often forgotten until the commissioning engineer asks for them.

Getting the Machine Ready to Travel

Preparation is where the cost and the risk are decided:

• Dimensions and weight, verified — Actual measurements including any projections, and the weight with packing. Drawings are a starting point, but machines get modified and guards get added. An unverified figure discovered at the quayside changes the equipment, the lift and the price.
• Fluids and moving parts — Oils, coolants and fuel dealt with in line with the carrier's requirements, moving parts locked or braced, and loose items removed and packed separately.
• Export crating and preservation — Cases built to the weight and centre of gravity, with shock and tilt indicators where they are justified, desiccant and barrier wrapping for sea passages, and clear markings for lifting points and orientation.
• Wood packaging compliance — Crates, cases and dunnage made of solid wood must be treated and marked to the international ISPM 15 standard. This is a routine cause of consignments being refused at the border, and it is entirely avoidable.
• Lifting points and rigging — Confirmed with the manufacturer where possible, and a lifting plan produced for pieces where slinging in the wrong place would damage the machine.
• Marking and inventory — Every case numbered, weighed and listed against the packing list, so the receiving site knows what has arrived and what has not.

Moving It and Landing It

The transport plan runs from the factory floor to the installation point:

• Choosing the equipment — Standard container where it fits, flat rack or open top where it does not, and roll on roll off or breakbulk for wheeled, tracked or very heavy pieces. Air freight for urgent spares and for downtime critical parts.
• Out of gauge handling — Where the piece exceeds container dimensions the shipment needs a stowage plan, and the vessel options narrow. Early booking matters far more than it does with standard cargo.
• Route survey — For abnormal loads on the road we check the physical route for bridges, roundabouts, overhead lines and turning circles, and arrange the necessary movement permissions and escorts.
• Site access and the final lift — Craneage, hardstanding, door widths, floor loadings and internal handling, checked before dispatch. This is the step most often skipped and the one that causes most of the problems.
• Insurance and inspection — Cargo cover on the correct value including freight, and a joint condition inspection at loading and at delivery so that any damage is identified and evidenced immediately.

Related Services

• Exceptional weights and dimensions through project cargo and heavy lift
• Regular production and component flows on our freight for manufacturers page
• Urgent spares and downtime critical parts by UK air freight
• Import declarations and procedures through UK customs clearance

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you dismantle and reinstall the machine as well as ship it?

We coordinate it. Dismantling, disconnection, rigging and recommissioning are carried out by specialist engineers or by the manufacturer, and we bring them into one plan with the transport so nobody is standing waiting for somebody else. What we will not do is let a job start without agreement in writing about who disconnects, who lifts, who reconnects and who signs off the machine as working.

How do I know whether my machine fits in a container?

Compare the crated dimensions, not the machine dimensions, against the internal measurements and door opening of the container, and remember the crate base adds height. Anything over about two and a third metres wide or high once crated usually needs a flat rack or an open top. Send us the dimensions and weight and we will tell you the equipment and the realistic cost difference between the options.

What is out of gauge cargo and why does it cost more?

Out of gauge means the cargo extends beyond the dimensions of the equipment it sits on. It costs more because the overhang blocks the slots around it on the vessel, so the line charges for the space that cannot be sold, and because it needs a specific stowage position and additional handling. Fewer services accept it, so booking lead time is longer.

Do machines need special packing for sea freight?

Almost always. Sea passages mean salt air, condensation inside the container and constant vibration, so precision equipment needs barrier wrapping with desiccant, proper bracing to the case and shock protection on sensitive assemblies. Any solid wood in the crate needs ISPM 15 treatment and marking. Good crating adds cost at the front and removes most of the risk of a damaged arrival.

Can you move used plant out of a working factory?

Yes, and it is a different job from shipping new equipment. It needs a site visit, a dismantling sequence, a full marking and inventory system, a plan for how the pieces leave the building and a schedule that fits around production. We work backwards from the date the new site needs the machine running, not forwards from the date the old site wants it gone.

Do you arrange abnormal load permits and escorts?

Yes, where the load exceeds normal road limits we handle the route survey, the movement notifications and any escort requirements in the countries involved. The lead time varies considerably by country and by route, which is why the road leg needs to be planned at the same time as the sea leg, not after it.

What insurance should I have on a machine shipment?

Cargo insurance on the full replacement value including freight and packing charges, rather than the book value, because a damaged machine needs replacing at today's price. For high value or single source equipment it is also worth considering the cost of the downtime it would cause, which is not covered by standard cargo terms. We can arrange cover and will tell you plainly what it does and does not include.

Talk to Nostrac about your requirements and we will tell you what is realistic before you commit to it.

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