Whether you're moving your business across town or across the country, it will require extensive planning and organization. In the end, the most affordable option might be to temporarily establish two facilities in order to move carefully and with the least amount of interruption.
Digitize as much as you can
Examine your archived data closely. Are paper copies of your receipts, purchase orders, and packing lists really necessary? Keeping paper copies of your payroll records isn't actually necessary. A secure cloud-based electronic filing system can minimize the amount of paper required to only a computer, an internet connection, and a printer.
Get a high-speed scanner and start this early. Once you have scanned and destroyed all of this data, take the time to set up file name and date protocols so you can quickly search for information. Think about investing in a system that supports OCR scanning so you can search more thoroughly for a missing document.
Ensure that the employees performing the scanning have enough time to
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Scan the file and make a paper backup.
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congruent with the document's name
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To prevent data loss, count the pages.
This procedure will take some time. Consider hiring scanning personnel on the weekends if you're using the new paperless system while you're archiving data to lessen the burden on the system.
Redirect your inventory to suppliers
Your simplest moving strategy can be to let your suppliers and delivery services move your stock to the new facility, depending on whether you're relocating finished items or raw materials and tools.
Naturally, both facilities must be covered by your security system. Make sure that the security is enhanced whenever possible if you plan to store anything outside at your new site. This might consist of
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security gates and fence
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security lights
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Drive-bys of local law enforcement and security personnel
Although making a double lease payment turns this into an investment, you can still continue your business by producing at least partial runs or shipments to please your customers. While moving important equipment can necessitate a small outage, there won't be a protracted shutdown that might lead clients to look elsewhere.
Inform your clients as soon as you can about the shutdown to avoid upsetting their supply chain.
Take what you can with you
Prepare yourself to load smaller items by yourself. If you have a worker who is good at moving, give them the time to go get the (free) moving supplies. Get in touch with your accountant and lawyer and ask for paper boxes. Paper 8.5 x 11 ream boxes are uniform in size and simple to stack.
Divide the move into manageable pieces. Relocate the entire project so you may begin to load in for each department involved if you need to hold onto some tools or raw materials for a specific seasonal job. It will take tools, raw materials, finishing, inspection, and shipping for a single production run. Start small and utilize this endeavor as the fulcrum for your next step.
To load boxes, think about employing a few temporary workers. A moving crew with the equipment and strength to securely load the truck will spare you a lot of worry and grousing, even though you want a full-time staff to direct where things go in the new location.
Move Slowly
Think about relocating slowly and renting a vehicle for the long haul. Packing slowly and moving items in tiny batches can be the best option if your move is from your current facility to a shipping container or straight to your new facility.
If at all possible, think about moving over a summer or winter break from school. Put any staff members who have students on break during the holiday to work loading boxes into the vehicle. The student can make a little money, the labor force can readily grow temporarily, and your move can go well.
Do keep in mind that some employees may not like this, especially if their position is going away. Move an employee to a different project to hasten the transition if you are aware that they are being resistive and may even be slowing things down. It's never simple to decide to transfer your firm, but once you do, don't let anyone stand in your way.
Make use of professional services
Moving alone can occasionally be destructively harmful. You might have a highly technical tool, for instance, that needs to be disassembled before shipping. Ask the experts you're sending out to disassemble and reassemble it whether they'll provide you with a quote to transport the tool. In the event that something goes wrong, they will bear the responsibility.
If you need to travel over water, especially, get bids for relocating your company's vehicles. Vehicle movers can improve the effectiveness of transferring your fleet, whether you're shipping automobiles across the Pacific Northwest or seeking Hawaii car shipping solutions.
Take the time to get everything serviced if you intend to transfer your fleet of service cars that are loaded with equipment for your company. Before you load these cars down with containers and tools, make sure you get the suspension and steering checked out as well as do necessary oil changes and fluid checks.
The supplies necessary for moving your business can actually be quite cheap. If your business cannot grow anymore in the current location and relocation is critical to expansion, finding the space for these free shipping tools may be the biggest challenge to getting started. Communicate your intentions clearly and loop in as many employees as possible.
