Machinery Installation and Relocation for Food & Beverage Businesses
AIS Vanguard has over 50 years of experience supporting the food and beverage industry with factory and production line installation and relocation services and heavy machinery moves across the UK.
Whether you are moving a single machine, installing a new production line, relocating an existing line within your facility, or moving an entire factory to a new site, we plan the work around your production schedule to minimise disruption and costly downtime.
Our experienced teams understand the demands of working in food and beverage environments, including hygiene and health and safety requirements, restricted access, and continuous or shift-based production.
Machinery and Production Line Installation and Relocation
Installing a new production line involves more than positioning machinery. Equipment needs to be moved into place, accurately positioned, connected, and commissioned so the complete line is ready for production.
Relocating an existing line requires careful decommissioning, removal, movement, and reinstallation, while protecting the equipment and minimising downtime.
AIS Vanguard can manage both, from moving a single machine through to relocating an entire factory.
We plan installation and relocation work around production schedules, shutdowns, and shift patterns. Our project managers plan and execute all projects, providing out-of-hours or weekend support to minimise disruption.
Our turnkey approach covers:
- Planning and bespoke project management
- Food production line installation and commissioning
- Production line relocation and reinstallation, including complete factory relocations
- Single machine moves, machinery removal and positioning
- Heavy lifting and specialist rigging
- Mechanical and electrical installation - Our experienced, specialist engineers have invaluable knowledge of food safety, EC and EU legislation, and the intricacies of providing engineering support to the food and beverage sector, such as material selection and use of food-safe lubricants
- Conveyor and line equipment installation
- Equipment replacement and upgrades
Equipment We Install and Relocate
Our teams have experience working with a wide range of food and beverage processing and production equipment, including:
- Filling lines
- Mixing and blending vessels
- Pasteurisers
- Palletisers
- Conveyor systems
- Motors, gearboxes, processing equipment, and other heavy plant
We can work with individual items of equipment or coordinate the installation or relocation of a complete production line.
Case study: Cereal Partners UK (Nestlé)
Cereal Partners UK (Nestlé) called in AIS Vanguard to assist in the removal and installation of a new CHP engine, motor, and gearbox.
The project involved lifting a 5.5-tonne gas turbine engine and gearbox from its transport crate and positioning the engine onto its installation skid, which the manufacturer used to install it into the machine.
The gearbox presented a particular challenge. We needed to lift it in and out of the machine from a position approximately 1.5 metres inside the equipment, with the gearbox weighing 2,000kg.
Using our in-house specialist lifting equipment and highly skilled team, we completed the work successfully.
This is the type of technically demanding work where careful planning, specialist lifting capability, and experience in operational manufacturing environments make the difference.
Planning a machinery move, production line installation or factory relocation?
Whether you are moving a single machine, installing a new line, relocating an entire factory, or upgrading your food and beverage production facility, AIS Vanguard can plan and manage the work around your operational requirements.
Talk to us about your production line or machinery move, and find out how we can manage your project safely and efficiently while minimising costly downtime.
Get in Contact and See How We Can Help You
More Sectors:
Areospace
Automotive
Manufacturing
Petrochemical
Pharmaceutical
Packaging
Warehousing
Defence
Heavy Industry
Energy
Frequently Asked Questions
With over 50 years of experience in high-care sectors, we possess an in-depth understanding of the sterile environments required by the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. To ensure operational continuity, we synchronise our activities with your planned maintenance shutdowns or utilise innovative segregation methods, such as specialist sheeting and physical barriers, to allow work to run simultaneously with live production lines. Our internal fleet is specifically adapted for these sensitive areas, utilising electric, emission-free lifting equipment fitted with non-marking white wheels to protect floor integrity and air quality. Adhering to strict audit standards like BRCGS, we use food-safe lubricants and rigorous hygiene protocols to protect the clinical integrity of your facility throughout the project.
Yes. We understand that food and beverage manufacturers often operate on continuous shift patterns. Our project managers meticulously plan assignments to work around your production schedules and shutdowns. We provide out-of-hours and weekend support as standard to ensure minimal downtime, allowing your facility to maintain its mission-critical output while we install or relocate equipment.
We specialise in the removal, relocation, and installation of complex processing assets, including CHP engines, gearboxes, and large-scale manufacturing lines. Our team is skilled in technical lifting within confined spaces—such as reaching deep inside existing machinery to replace components. We provide a full turnkey solution that includes mechanical and electrical integration and precision commissioning.
In many cases, yes. We plan installation work around your production schedule, using shutdowns, weekends, and quieter periods for activities that require the line to stop. Where practical, work can also be segregated from live production to allow other operations to continue. The exact approach depends on the equipment, installation requirements, and your site.
Yes. We can manage the decommissioning, removal, movement, positioning, reinstallation, and commissioning of existing production equipment. We plan the relocation sequence carefully to minimise the time your line is unavailable.