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Analyzers, centrifuges, imaging components, and precision instruments share an uncomfortable trait: they are simultaneously heavy, delicate, and expensive. Standard freight handling destroys them. Here is the checklist we run through on every lab equipment move, and what you should demand from any vendor you hire.

1. Crate it where it stands

The most dangerous part of any equipment move is the unprotected move: the trip from the lab bench to the crating shop, strapped to a pallet and hoping for the best. On-site crating eliminates it. The crew builds the crate around the instrument in your lab, so it travels once, inside its crate, from the first mile.

2. Engineer the crate for the instrument, not the box

Blocking and bracing should be placed for your equipment’s specific weight distribution and center of gravity. Vibration-dampening materials matter for anything with calibrated components. Foam-in-place or custom-cut foam for the truly delicate. Ask the crating company how they determine placement — “we eyeball it” is not an answer.

3. Document condition with photos, twice

Photograph the instrument before crating and again at delivery and uncrating. Note every scratch, every calibration sticker, every accessory. This record protects you and keeps everyone honest. Any vendor who resists documentation is a vendor to avoid.

4. Protect against the environment

Moisture-barrier bagging for humidity-sensitive instruments. Desiccants for long transits. Climate-aware packing materials. If the equipment is going overseas, ISPM-15 heat-treated lumber and proper export documentation are mandatory.

5. Use white-glove delivery at the far end

The crate getting there is only half the job. White-glove delivery means scheduled windows, careful uncrating, placement at the destination bench or room, debris removal, and post-delivery condition photos. Your lab manager should not be breaking down a crate with a crowbar.

6. Keep one throat to choke

One vendor who crates, ships, delivers, and uncrates means one accountable contact and no gaps between handoffs. Every handoff between separate vendors is a place where damage happens and blame gets passed.

We crate and move lab and medical equipment across Chicagoland and beyond, including on-site crating at your facility and ISPM-15 export crating for international shipments. Call (847) 258-5530 or request a free quote online and tell us about the instrument.