AME Inc. Blog

In the early days ropes, sand, and horses were used to move large objects and machinery; today there is specialized hydraulic machinery is available for almost every application. The advent of new technologies and refinements in our lifetime alone has created more efficient means to execute plant relocations, equipment and machinery rigging and optical alignment projects to name a few.

In this article, we discuss three developments that have revolutionized the way industrial general contractors operate to not only better serve their customers, but most importantly, prioritize safety.

It doesn’t matter if you’re moving a heavy piece of equipment or an entire facility, relocation projects require specialized knowledge and experience. This includes scheduling and budgeting; transportation logistics; safety best practices; and local and international laws and taxes.

If you’re thinking about managing a move in-house, consider these four reasons why going at it alone will likely cause unnecessary headaches, delays and unforeseen costs. 

Whether you’re a large commercial plant that needs to reposition heavy equipment, an HVAC company moving an air conditioner or a movie producer who needs to hold up a light on a set, it’s critical to ensure you rent the proper industrial crane for the project.

You’ve confirmed your scope of work, rented the proper industrial crane and now it’s time to head to the job site. You know this job is going be completed on time and on budget! 

Oh, wait, the OSHA Compliance Officer is there and he’s making an inspection.

You submitted your team’s certifications? You performed the proper safety checks? You hired a qualified crane signaler, correct?

You quickly learn that your signaler doesn’t meet OSHA regulations and suddenly you’re scrambling to get someone there to be in compliance and finish the job.

Sometimes when a crane is rented from AME, clients decide to use one of their own guys to signal the crane, thinking they are properly qualified when they are not, and then OSHA delays the move.

So, your company’s committed to relocating a heavy piece of equipment or the entire factory? The next step is to begin the bidding process with a handful of reputable industrial relocation contractors. While the prices may be similar, it’s important to realize that all are not created equal; you’ll want a company that can support you from the foundations through the startup of the machine. 

When major companies have a need for a construction crane, who do they call… AME, Inc.

Why Call AME for Construction Cranes?

Because of our equipment and experience doing safe work with small companies to Fortune 500 Companies.

Our NCCCO Certified Crane Operators were challenged with supporting the tear-down of turbine to access a 100,000 lb. rotor, lift it out of the casing, lift it back into place and finally put all the pieces back together.

Since its start as a small custom metal fabrication shop in support of AME's equipment and rigging efforts, the Fabrication Division of AME has grown immensely. This growth has been carefully controlled so that our core principles of quality workmanship and customer service would be maintained as the division grew. This is evidenced by the fact that our largest customer is also one of our oldest at over 35 years. This does not happen by accident. It is because of quality and good client relationships. These are old lessons learned that must be maintained and brought forward as we grow.

Oh wait… don’t write that down. Did you document that? You wrote what? Where is your documentation? It gets so confusing to our supervisors and leaders as to what needs to be documented and what doesn’t. It is really simple … There are six main events that need to be documented.

I recall as a child the coolest place to be left alone for hours on end was the basement of my grandparents’ home. It was where my grandfather had established his “shop.” It was where all things made by hand could be made, where anything broke could be fixed, and where concept became reality; you just had to know where the tools and materials all were stored to get started. He built model planes, cars, boats, shelves, cabinets, soap box cars, rebuilt motors of all kinds, etc. He had the knack for building things that we as industrial contractors all possess at our core and he was highly organized.

Or, What Do You Do When Your Front End Falls Off

There are times in our life that we begin to see small changes in our industrial construction services jobs, company, friends, etc. and while it is uncomfortable, we just continue to roll along doing what is “normal” and perhaps routine.

Then … our front end falls off.