Heavy Machinery Storage
AIS VIG Industrial provides managed short- or long-term heavy machinery storage for industrial equipment that needs a secure home between projects, relocations or installation phases.
Our managed service offers more than warehouse floor space. Our team can collect your machinery, lift and position it into storage, look after it while it is held, then deliver it back to site when required. We can also relocate, reinstall, or dispose of equipment as part of our comprehensive service.
When You Need Machinery Storage
You may not always have a clear destination ready when equipment leaves the factory floor.
Industrial equipment storage can create the space and time needed to manage:
- Delays at a new manufacturing facility
- Phased factory or production line moves
- Machinery removed during decommissioning
- Equipment retained for future production
- Surplus or redundant assets awaiting a decision
- Machinery requiring maintenance before reuse
- Equipment awaiting relocation or sale
- Temporary gaps between removal and installation
For a phased factory relocation, storage can prevent the receiving site becoming overloaded with machinery before installation areas or services are ready.
It can also provide an interim solution during factory decommissioning, giving you time to decide whether an asset should be reused, sold, relocated or disposed of.
Rather than arranging separate lifting, transport and warehouse providers, AIS VIG Industrial can manage the equipment from collection through storage to its next destination.
How Our Machinery Storage Works
Our heavy machine storage service is designed around your assets and your business operations. It can include:
1. Collection and removal
We plan machinery removal from your site using specialist lifting equipment suited to the asset and access route. We prepare the equipment for transport and move it to one of our UK storage facilities.
2. Offloading and lift-in
Our warehouses have drive-in, drive-out access so machinery can be brought directly into the storage environment. Our on-site lifting equipment includes cranes, Versa-Lift forklifts and gantry systems, allowing our skilled in-house team to offload and position heavy industrial machinery without bringing in a separate lifting contractor. We can handle individual assets weighing up to 50 tonnes, subject to equipment, dimensions and lifting requirements.
3. Storage and care
We can store machinery short-term or hold it indefinitely while you decide what happens next. Our team can also carry out regular on-site maintenance during storage. This can include shaft rotation, anti-corrosion spraying and repairs where required.
4. Call-off
When the receiving site is ready, just tell us when you need the machinery. Our team can prepare the asset for removal, lift it out of storage and coordinate onward transport.
5. Return, relocation or disposal
Stored machinery does not have to return to the original business. Depending on your plans, AIS VIG Industrial can:
- Deliver it to a new production site
- Support reinstallation
- Relocate it as part of a wider project
- Prepare it for another destination
- Remove it for compliant disposal
Our Machinery Storage Facilities
We operate two secure UK storage warehouses with 24-hour CCTV surveillance supported by a facilities management team. Whether you need short-term heavy equipment storage while a new site is prepared or an indefinite solution, AIS VIG Industrial can manage your assets securely throughout their time off-site.
Both facilities provide drive-in, drive-out access, making it easier to bring heavy machinery inside for offloading, storage and later collection. The storage facilities are also equipped with on-site lifting equipment, including:
- Cranes
- Versa-Lift forklifts
- Gantry lifting systems
- Specialist handling equipment
For more detail on the practical considerations involved, read our guide to machinery storage logistics.
Looking After Stored Machinery
Industrial machinery may need more than a dry place to stand. The longer an asset remains out of production, the more important it becomes to consider its condition and future use.
AIS VIG Industrial can carry out agreed preservation, maintenance and repair activities while equipment is stored.
Depending on the machinery and storage period, this can include:
- Periodic shaft rotation
- Anti-corrosion spraying
- Routine maintenance
- Repairs before the next move
- Preparation for onward transport
Storage Within a Wider Project
Storage is often one stage of a larger industrial project. A machine may enter storage because a new production area is delayed. An entire group of assets may need to be held while a factory relocation is completed in phases. Machinery removed during a site closure may need somewhere secure while decisions are made about resale or disposal.
AIS VIG Industrial can coordinate managed storage with your wider project.
Factory relocation
During factory relocations, machinery can be removed, stored between phases and delivered when the receiving site is ready.
Factory decommissioning
Assets can move directly from a closing or cleared facility during factory decommissioning projects and be stored while their future use is decided.
Reinstallation or relocation
When stored machinery is required again, our skilled in-house teams, including mechanical and electrical engineers, can manage transport back to site and support its positioning and installation.
Asset disposal
Where stored equipment is no longer required, we can arrange machinery removal and compliant disposal.
The benefit is continuity. We provide turnkey heavy machinery storage solutions and can manage the machinery as it leaves production, enters storage and moves on to its next use.
Need Machinery Storage?
If machinery needs to leave your site before its next destination is ready, AIS VIG Industrial can manage the complete storage process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is your heavy machinery storage facility secure and climate-controlled?
Yes. Our storage facility provides a secure, internal environment protected by 24/7 CCTV and alarm systems. By storing machinery indoors, we prevent exposure to the elements, which is essential for protecting sensitive electronic components, PLC systems, and precision-ground surfaces from corrosion or “white rust.” We ensure your assets remain in the same condition as when they were decommissioned.
What is the maximum lifting capacity for machinery entering your storage?
Our facility is equipped with heavy-duty lifting gear, including Versa-Lift forklifts and hydraulic gantry systems, allowing us to handle individual assets weighing up to 50 tonnes. Whether you are storing a single CNC centre or an entire dismantled production line, we have the specialist equipment on-site to offload, position, and eventually reload your machinery safely.
Can you provide long-term storage for industrial plant and equipment?
We offer total flexibility for both short-term emergency storage and long-term asset holding. This is ideal for businesses facing construction delays at a new facility or those holding “legacy” plant for future production requirements. Our team can also provide periodic maintenance, such as shaft rotation or anti-corrosion spraying, to ensure your machinery is ready for immediate commissioning when required.
The responsiveness and professionalism of the VIG office in managing the project, the crane company and issuing very comprehensive RAMS was extremely helpful in enabling the potentially high risk works to be approved by the safety officers within the end user client at this critically important site. Thanks to you and all your Team for managing the Lift & Shift and Crane Lift works professionally, safely and efficiently. I look forward to undertaking the next stage of works with you all.
Managing Director Health Sector