Other things to consider: all software needs to be off, medical personnel need to be notified, equipment unplugged and the rooms need to be cleared of anything not going.

"There are times we walk into cath labs and they still have everything in-all the needles, all the IVs and they need to take it all out or it won't be sterile when we are done."

Rigging rules
Many of these problems can also be found with the rigging part of the equation.

The best advice from all riggers is to plan ahead. Experts recommend contacting a rigging professional, or several, and have them make an on-site visit and survey to evaluate not just the piece of equipment or things needing to be moved but to also take inventory of the building, halls and doors.

"Each job is different. Some riggers will ask for the equipment model number or manufacturer and go online and look at the piece and give a quote, never taking into consideration that the customer has stairs, elevators, low ceilings, support poles or other equipment that might impair a move," Fowler says. "A rigger making an on-site will show up for the job prepared for whatever situations he or she may discover. No one wants to receive a bill after the fact."

"Keeping people safe, keeping the equipment safe, and rigging thousands of pounds many stories high is definitely a challenge," Lewis says. "The equipment that we move is sometimes worth millions of dollars and one wrong move can render it useless."

Emerging technology offer respite
As technology advances, companies are more capable of providing customers with real- time tracking and tracing capability.

"There are new devices that can travel with the freight that identifies where the shipment is at all times," Gibson says.

The emerging robotics economy is a hopeful sign that manufacturing may slowly return to the U.S., and this is something that will benefit the rigging and crating industries.

"The robotics industry is entering a new era in which man and machine will work in partnership. This has very positive implications for American business, the medical industry and for the New England area, in particular," Larsen says. "We have crated and shipped thousands of machines all over the world because manufacturing overseas has been more profitable and cost-effective than in the United States. The emergence of a new robotics industry with man-machine partnerships has been projected to bring manufacturing production and jobs back to the U.S.A. for the first time in several decades."

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DOTmed Registered Ocean, Air and Truck Freight/De-installation, Crating and Rigging Sales & Service Companies

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