The True Cost of Downtime in Equipment Moves — And How to Avoid It

When you’re relocating machinery, time is money, and downtime is the enemy.

For many manufacturers, downtime costs can average $16,000 per hour. That means even a single day of lost production can hit your bottom line by six figures. And that’s before you account for ripple effects: missed orders, unhappy customers, and the strain placed on your workforce.

Why Downtime Happens

Here’s the surprising part: most downtime isn’t caused by the physical move itself. It’s caused by what wasn’t planned for.

The hidden risks in a move include:

·       Missed reinstallation sequence

·       Delay in utility reconnections (power, air, water, controls)

·       Lost alignment specifications

·       Sequencing errors that stall upstream or downstream systems

·       Freight scheduling gaps or weather disruptions

·       Miscommunication between trades or vendors

These issues often strike after the equipment has arrived, keeping production lines idle when they should be running.

How Henke Reduces Downtime

At Henke Industrial, we treat your uptime like it’s our own. Our approach is built around anticipating and eliminating the risks that cause delays:

·       Planning Around Your Most Critical Production Windows
We schedule the move so production impact is minimized.

·       Coordinating Utility Disconnect/Reconnect and Verification
Every connection is mapped, scheduled, and tested before restart.

·       Sequencing Equipment to Restart in the Right Order
We plan the flow so no piece of machinery is waiting on another to be operational.

·       Avoiding Overlap Between Your People and Our Crews
Clear division of roles keeps work safe and efficient.

·       Providing a Single Project Lead From Teardown to Restart
One point of contact ensures alignment and accountability.

The Bottom Line

Downtime costs more than most realize, and it adds up fast. By engineering smarter staging and sequenced execution, we’ve helped clients cut days or even weeks from their expected downtime.

When your production line is on the line, don’t guess your way through a move. Partner with the team that plans every step to keep you moving.

Give us a call: (859) 757-8080
Check us out: www.henkeindustrial.com