If you are moving your factory or your office to a new location, you are probably spending a great deal of money in set up and moving costs. Because of that, you don't want to lose any extra money due to downtime. Luckily, you don't have to.

With the right movers and a detailed strategy, you can reduce downtime during your industrial move and keep your company running smoothly. Here are five tips to help keep you up and running:

1. Have a single point-of-contact move coordinator

When you hire industrial movers to handle your move, request a single point-of-contact move coordinator. Having one person to whom you can direct questions can be essential through the process. A single point of contact ensures you don't waste time sitting on the phone waiting to find the right person for your questions or concerns, and it lends a sense of accountability to the move in general.

2. Keep objects and documents extremely well organized during the move

As you may know from residential moves, disorganization can add time and stress to the unpacking process, and it can delay how quickly you get your house up and running. The same is true of industrial moves, and in fact, if you want to reduce downtime, keeping everything organized during an industrial move is especially critical.

To that end, hire movers who know how to assess the current organization of your pallet racking, pack your items and then unpack them into the exact same order as they were in their original location. Similarly, if you are moving filing cabinets, hire movers who can move lateral cabinets without unpacking them or disturbing the organizational structure of their contents.

3. Create detailed timelines for equipment moves and downtime

Ideally, you want all of your equipment dismantled, moved and reassembled in an orderly fashion. You want the most essential equipment moved last but also set-up first in the new location. This ensures that you can keep using it for as long as possible before the move and as soon as possible after the move.

However, you also need a timeline so you can schedule your staff around that. For example, if you anticipate that certain parts of your factory won't be running for a few days after the move, you can reduce the number of people scheduled to work over those days. In contrast, if you know that other machinery is going to be up and running, you can make sure those machine operators are scheduled and ready to go.

4. Reduce chances of loss or damage

If something is lost or damaged during the move, that can seriously affect your downtime as well. In some cases, losing even a small part or breaking a machine can gum up the works to the extent that everything is shut down until you can get a replacement. This is time consuming, annoying and potentially very costly, as you have to cover the cost of the loss or damage as well as deal with the financial ramifications of extended downtime.

To reduce your chances of this happening, hire a reputable industrial mover who has experience working in your industry. Industrial movers specialize in moving everything from large, expensive sculptures to heavy warehouse machinery, and you need an expert who can handle your specific needs.

However, even the pros can occasionally make mistakes, so ensure your industrial movers have insurance policies in place to protect your items.

5. Move on the weekend or in the evening

If possible, try to move during times when your employees do not typically work. For example, if your factory is quiet on the weekends, schedule your move for a Saturday or Sunday. If your staff doesn't work in the evening, see if you can find a moving company that overs graveyard or overnight moves.

If you keep these tips in mind and work with experienced industrial movers, your move will go smoothly and be over before you know it.