Look, there's no perfect script for moving a Goss press. I've done it, messed it up, seen colleagues do it, and watched the industry change. If someone tells you they have a one-size-fits-all plan, they're lying or they've only moved one type of press.
I'm not here to give you a generic list. I'm here to show you the three distinct scenarios I've encountered over the last six years handling relocation orders, and the very specific, very costly mistakes I've made in each.
Here's the thing: a Goss press relocation isn't like moving a filing cabinet. A single miscalculation in rigging or disassembly can cascade into weeks of downtime. I've personally made (and documented) four significant mistakes, totaling roughly $4,700 in wasted budget. Now I maintain our team's pre-move checklist to prevent others from repeating my errors. Consider this your cheat sheet.
The Three Relocation Scenarios
Most of the advice you'll find online assumes you're moving a standard, single-unit press from an operational facility to another operational facility. That's scenario A. But there's scenario B and C, and they require completely different thinking.
- Scenario A: The Standard Move - You are moving from one functional shop floor to another. The press is running now. It will run there. Timelines are tight, but the building is prepped.
- Scenario B: The Decommission & Storage - The press is coming offline. It might not see a new floor for 6 months. You need to store it safely. The biggest errors happen here.
- Scenario C: The 'Ugly Duckling' Move - This is the one that gets people. You're buying an old press from a closed plant. It's been sitting. Nobody knows its history. The structure might be compromised. You're a brave soul, but you need a different plan.
In my first year (2017), I made the classic mistake of treating a Scenario C move like a Scenario A move. Bad idea. We almost dropped the main printing unit.
Scenario A: The Standard Move
This is your bread and butter. You have blueprints, the floor is reinforced, and you have a date. The critical path here isn't the rigging—it's the electrical and pneumatic disconnection.
My Blunder: I once signed off on the disconnection of a Goss Community press without labeling a single air line. (A classic newbie mistake). We assumed the reconnection team would 'just know'. What happened? We spent a full day tracing lines and re-pressurizing. That error cost $890 in redo labor plus a 1-week delay in commissioning. The lesson: Implement a color-coded tag system for every line before the first wrench is turned.
The Checklist for Scenario A:
- Pre-disconnection audit: Photograph every connection point. Label the photo with an ID tag that physically sits on the line.
- Dowel pin mapping: The precision alignment of Goss units relies on dowel pins. Don't just bag them. Create a grid on a piece of plywood and place the pins in the exact relative position they came from.
- Transport oil: I'm not 100% sure on the exact brand for every model, but you must drain the main lubrication reservoir. A full reservoir of oil sloshing around during a tilt in transit can shift the press's center of gravity. We saw this on a job in 2018. It was terrifying.
Scenario B: The Decommission & Storage
This is where the 'value over price' argument screams the loudest. People assume the cheapest storage unit or the fastest shrink-wrap job is fine. It's not. I've seen presses rot under a tarp in a humid warehouse.
My Blunder: In September 2022, I stored a Goss Magnum in a climate-controlled warehouse. I paid for it. But I cheaped out on the desiccant packs and the anti-corrosion spray. The contract said 'climate controlled', but the contract didn't specify the 40% humidity spike we got from a storm that blew out the AC for 3 days. Result: Surface rust on the impression cylinders. $300 in rust remover and 3 days of manual polishing. A lesson learned the hard way.
The Checklist for Scenario B:
- Storage VCI: Volatile Corrosion Inhibitors are not optional. It's not just 'nice to have'. It's the difference between a press that fires up in 6 months and a press that needs a $15,000 cylinder replacement.
- Rotation schedule: If the press is in storage for more than 3 months, you need to manually rotate the cylinders monthly. This prevents oil from pooling and bearings from developing 'flat spots'.
- Document the condition: Take high-res photos of the blankets, rollers, and cylinders after cleaning but before wrapping. This protects you if the storage facility damages the press. I have a checklist for this.
Scenario C: The 'Ugly Duckling' Move
This is the most risky. You bought a press that's been sitting in a closed plant. (Think of the classic Goss printing press history story). You got it for $5,000, thinking you'd save money. The relocation cost will be $20,000. People assume the lowest bid for the move is the way to go. The reality is... look, I have to be careful here, because I work in the industry. But let's just say the lowest quote often hides a lack of experience with 'dead' presses.
My Blunder: The $3,200 mistake came from buying a used Goss Suburban press from a bankrupt newspaper. On the surface, the press looked tidy. The riggers we hired (the cheapest) didn't check for seized bearings. When they tried to lift the unit, a frozen bearing on the main shaft snapped. The whole unit shifted by 4 inches. We had to call in a specialist with a mobile crane. That $200 'savings' on the rigging quote turned into a $1,500 problem.
The Checklist for Scenario C:
- Pre-buy inspection with a torque wrench: Before you even sign the contract for the move, have a qualified mechanic test the rotation of every main shaft and roller. A seized bearing is a deal-breaker or a massive cost adder.
- Cast iron inspection: Goss press frames are cast iron. They crack. Look for hairline cracks near bolt holes. If you find one, the relocation plan changes from 'disassemble and move' to 'reinforce in place and move as one piece'.
- History check: Try to find the press's service history. Did it run newsprint or glossy? Newsprint presses have different roller hardness. This matters for the re-calibration.
Which Scenario Are You In?
You might be thinking, 'My situation is a mix.' That's fine. Here is the most important question to ask yourself: How long has the press been idle, and is the environment controlled? If the answer is 'more than 6 months' and 'no', you are in Scenario C. Don't try to buy your way out of it with a cheaper rigging quote. I made that mistake for you. Trust me, it's not worth it.
This was accurate as of Q1 2025. Machinery relocation standards change fast (new rigging techniques, new bearing standards), so verify current best practices with your engineering team before booking the crane. Don't hold me to this, but the core principles of labeling, corrosion prevention, and pre-move inspections have saved my team thousands. They'll save you, too.