Site survey and relocation plan
The removal firm visits both sites, records volumes, access and constraints, then proposes phasing, staffing levels and a backward-planned schedule. This is the basis of a reliable quote.
Transport & logistics
Business relocation: offices, workshops and machinery
Offices, workshops, archives, IT equipment or production machinery: describe your move once and compare quotes from professional commercial removal firms.
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A business relocation is nothing like a household move. You have to transfer workstations, IT equipment, archives and sometimes machines weighing several tonnes, without halting operations for longer than necessary. So the supplier is not just providing a lorry and some labour: it runs a project, with a dedicated contact, a schedule, trained crews and suitable equipment.
There are three main cases. An office move covers furniture, computers and current archives. An industrial move means dismantling, transporting, repositioning and recommissioning machines or production lines, with lifting and heavy handling. An archive move requires a precise inventory and strict confidentiality. Many projects combine all three.
This page helps you prepare a request for quotes that can be compared like for like: services offered, equipment, price factors, insurance, scheduling and the information to attach to your request. The more precise your brief, with volumes, access, dates and operating constraints, the more reliable and easy to compare the quotes you receive will be.
Common services
Office relocation
Dismantling and reassembly of furniture, packing by workstation and labelling according to the floor plan: each employee finds their desk ready to use.
IT and telephony relocation
Disconnection, protected transport and reconnection of workstations, printers, racks and servers. Data backup and system switchover remain the responsibility of your IT department or a specialist.
Archive transfer
Inventory, numbered boxes, traceable transport and storage in the original order, with full confidentiality. Sorting and secure destruction can be handled beforehand.
Industrial machinery relocation
Removal, wedging, lifting, transport and reinstallation of machine tools, presses or lines, with connections marked up to speed up recommissioning.
Lifting and heavy handling
Forklift trucks, hoists, skates, mobile cranes: equipment is chosen according to weight, centre of gravity and access.
Storage and temporary warehousing
Storage of items that are not moving straight away, when the new premises are not ready or the old site has to be vacated before the keys are handed over.
Clearance and restoration
Removal of used furniture and equipment to appropriate disposal channels, followed by an end-of-occupancy clean with a cleaning company.
Vehicles and equipment
Rigid lorries and articulated trucks, with tail liftVans and light commercial vehicles for small volumes and shuttle runsFurniture lifts and hoists for difficult accessForklift trucks, pallet trucks and stackersHoists, skates and rollers for moving heavy loadsMobile cranes and loader cranesShuttle crates, roll containers and reinforced cartonsCovers, blankets, films and floor protectionCustom crates and wedging for sensitive equipment
Types of relocation
- Head office or branch moving to new premises
- Consolidation or reorganisation of several sites
- Workshop or production unit expanding or relocating
- Transfer of one or more machine tools, presses or lines
- Archives, files and document collections
- Laboratories, practices and agencies with sensitive equipment
- Internal reorganisation: moving workstations within the same building
- Vacating premises at the end of a lease and clearance
What affects the price
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1
Volume and nature of the goods
The number of workstations, linear metres of archives, weight of machines and fragility of equipment determine staffing and working time, which make up the biggest item on the quote.
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2
Site access and constraints
Floors, lift or goods lift, loading dock, door widths, carrying distance, vehicle parking: every obstacle adds time or equipment.
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3
Distance and number of trips
Several short shuttle runs do not cost the same as one long journey. Exact addresses determine driving time and the number of vehicles and crews.
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4
Timing and hours
Moving in the evening, at weekends or during a shutdown limits downtime, but may involve special terms. The schedule is something to discuss with the supplier.
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5
Level of service
Packing by the removal firm or by your own team, furniture dismantling, IT disconnection, recommissioning of machines: the more you delegate, the higher the quote, and the less you tie up your own staff.
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6
Insurance and value of the goods
The declared value, the cover chosen and the presence of sensitive equipment all affect the price. Assess them before comparing quotes.
Tips for a successful request
Post a request- State both addresses, the floors, whether there is a lift or goods lift, and the parking and access conditions at both sites.
- Quantify the volume: number of workstations, linear metres of archives, a list of machines with weights and dimensions, rather than “a large open-plan office”.
- Specify possible dates, the acceptable downtime, and whether work must take place in the evening, at weekends or in several phases.
- Attach floor plans, the list of sensitive equipment (servers, machines, safes) and your confidentiality requirements for archives.
- Say what you will handle yourself (IT, packing, disconnecting machines) and what the supplier must take on.
- Ask for a technical visit to both sites as soon as you post your request: it avoids rough quotes and unpleasant surprises on the day.
Planning, business continuity and inventory
A successful move is planned backwards from the date you receive the keys. Appoint an internal project manager to work with a single contact at the supplier, then break the operation into stages. The table below gives a framework, to be adapted to the size of your company.
| When | To do |
|---|---|
| Several months before | Define the need, request quotes, book dates, submit any required formalities and permits |
| A few weeks before | Draw up the inventory and floor plan, sort and dispose of what can go, inform customers and suppliers |
| The week before | Label by workstation and zone, back up data, empty and prepare machines |
| Moving day | Transfer in waves, check on arrival, recommission essential workstations first |
| Afterwards | Accept delivery with written reservations, update your address, insurance and legal notices |
The inventory is the key document: it is used for pricing, labelling, tracking each workstation and supporting any claim. For business continuity, favour successive waves, work outside working hours, a buffer stock before a workshop is shut down and a fallback plan (remote working, call forwarding). Finally, remember to notify your change of address through the French one-stop business formalities portal (guichet unique), then update your invoices and website.
Machinery and archives: lifting, recommissioning, confidentiality
For an industrial move, the preliminary study covers weights, dimensions, access (doors, heights, roads) and the floor loading capacity at the new site. Dismantling starts with isolating energy supplies, draining fluids and marking cables and pipes, ideally with photos. Lifting and transport are entrusted to a properly equipped company, with trained staff and lifting equipment subject to the statutory periodic inspections. On arrival, the machine is wedged, levelled, connected by authorised personnel and then tested. A dimensional inspection after reinstallation gives reassurance on precision machines. For handling equipment and associated storage, see also handling and storage.
If your site falls under the regulations for classified installations (ICPE, in France), plan the formalities with the authorities for both the old and the new premises. When an outside company works on your site, a joint risk analysis and, in some cases, a written prevention plan are required.
Archives call for a different kind of rigour: inventory, numbered boxes, filing order preserved, and staff bound by a confidentiality clause. Some documents have a legal retention period, for example ten years for accounting records in France; a move is the right moment to sort them and then have whatever no longer needs to be kept securely destroyed, with a certificate.
Insurance, liability and contract: what to check
A removal firm that carries your goods in its own vehicles is generally carrying out road haulage for hire and reward: ask for its registration on the register of hauliers (in France, the registre des transporteurs), as well as its insurance certificates, in particular professional liability and cover for goods in transit. Meaflow checks companies’ SIRET numbers (the French company registration number), not their insurance: these documents must be requested before you sign.
Read the contract’s limits of liability carefully. Compensation is often capped and may fall short of the real value of the goods. Depending on their value, consider a declaration of value or additional damage insurance. Also tell your own insurer about the move and your new address, and check what your commercial combined policy covers during transport and handling.
- Detailed quote: services included, equipment, staffing, duration, postponement or cancellation terms.
- Subcontracting: is lifting or transport handed to a third party? Ask who to contact in the event of damage.
- Acceptance: joint check against the inventory, precise written reservations and photos, before signing the delivery note.
To set out your requirements in writing, our specification generator can serve as a template.
Suppliers: business relocation
Verified business
FALHO Logistique
Professional supplier registered on Meaflow.
Business relocationTransport & deliveryHandling & storage
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Verified business
TRANSPORT MAHAMATH
Une entreprise de déménagement et débarras puis transport express . Sont nos métiers du quotidien avec une bonne expérience plus de 12 d'…
Business relocationTransport & deliveryOther service
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Frequently asked questions
A question not answered here? Visit the help centre or write to us.
How far in advance should you plan a business relocation?
Allow several months for a head office or production site, and at least a few weeks for a small office. The timetable depends on the date you get the keys, removal firms’ availability and operating constraints. For machines, add the lifting study and recommissioning trials. Start your request for quotes early so you can get a technical visit.
Can you move without stopping operations?
Rarely with no stoppage at all, but you can cut it sharply: transfer in waves, work in the evening or at weekends, workstations reinstalled ready to use, a buffer stock before a workshop is moved, a prepared IT switchover. Discuss these options with the supplier during the technical visit, as they change staffing, hours and the quote.
How do you move industrial machinery?
The transfer follows several stages: preliminary study (weights, dimensions, access, floor loading), isolation and disconnection, lifting, wedged and secured transport, reinstallation, levelling, connections and trials. You need a company equipped for lifting, with trained staff, and often the manufacturer or your maintenance team for recommissioning. Ask who is responsible for each stage.
Does my insurance cover the move?
It depends on your policy. A commercial combined insurance policy does not always cover goods during transport or handling: ask your insurer before the date and tell them about the change of address. The removal firm’s own liability is often limited by its contract: ask for its certificates, the details of its cover and whether you can declare the value of the goods.
How do you secure the transfer of archives and data?
For paper archives, insist on an inventory, numbered boxes, traceable transport and a confidentiality clause. For digital data, backup and switchover are the job of your IT department or a specialist: the removal firm disconnects, transports and reconnects the equipment. Finally, observe the legal retention periods before any sorting or destruction.
Do you need a permit to park a lorry or crane outside the site?
If the vehicle or crane takes up the public highway, a permit from the local authority is generally required, and you need to allow for the lead time. The removal firm often knows the procedure, but say in your request who will handle it. Also consider the building’s or business park’s rules: delivery hours, reserved lift, condition survey.
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