Commercial Moving Tips: Packing & Moving Your Electronics
If you’re relocating your Miami Lakes business, you need to pack and move your electronics. If you’re like most businesses, you rely heavily on computers, monitors, printers, scanners, and other hardware for your day to day operations. Although your commercial moving company will handle transportation, you and your staff will probably need to pack things up into boxes. Electronics can be delicate and sensitive, so it’s important to pack them correctly. These tips can help you keep important equipment safe and organized during your move.
Back up your data.
Before you move anything, make sure that you have a backup of your important data. If you don’t already have a backup, this is a good time to create one. Backing up your data provides crucial protection against cyber attacks, hardware and software malfunctions, and other things that could wipe out the information stored on your computers and servers. You can back everything up offsite, either in a local server or through a cloud-based service.
Take an inventory of what you have.
To avoid losing or misplacing important equipment during the commercial moving process, it’s a good idea to record your inventory.
Pack things into their original boxes, if you have them.
The original packaging is specifically designed to hold a particular piece of equipment, making it the best choice for packing and moving it. However, your office may not have kept the boxes, which take up space and are often discarded.
Check whether you have the manuals.
Owner’s manuals for electronic equipment often provide moving instructions. You’ll also need them when you set things, back up, unless you’re delegating that function to an experienced IT team. If you don’t have the manuals, you may be able to find PDF copies online.
Be sure to use enough padding.
Electronics can be pretty fragile, so it’s important to use enough padding inside the box. For very large electronics, like big scanner/printer/copier, you can ask your commercial movers for guidance and assistance. You may want to have those kinds of items packaged in a custom crate with ample padding.
Use anti-static packing materials.
Anti-static packaging materials protect electronics gadgets from damage caused by electrostatic discharge. They’re often made from polyethylene terephthalate, a thermoplastic polymer resin. A static dissipating coating is added that prevents static from building up, which could damage internal electronic components like computer cards.
How to Pack Your Office Electronics for Commercial Moving
Before you unplug everything, take note of how it plugs back in, and of which cable goes with which device.
- Label your cables and cords. Computers, printers, and other electronics have cables that fit into them. You can use strips of packing tape to label each cord, so you’ll know what goes with what.
- After unplugging your cables, tie them together. Electronic cords love to tie themselves into knots. You can avoid this by looping them up, then tying them at the center. Some cords already have a small velcro strip attached for this purpose.
- Pack each device together with its components. If possible, pack things together if they go together: towers and monitors, cables, and other pieces.
- Wrap things safely. You can use anti-static foam to wrap computer monitors, preventing the screens from scratching or getting damaged during transit. The anti-static foam is thin, but prevents things from bumping together and getting scratched. You may also want to wrap them in an extra layer of bubble wrap or newspaper for further protection.
- Label the boxes. Labeling the boxes will help make the unpacking process much easier for you and your staff. You may also want to mark them as fragile.
If you and your staff don’t want to deal with packing your electronics, many commercial movers offer additional packing services.
Commercial Moving Services in Parkland
At Orange Movers, we provide commercial moving services for businesses of all kinds in Miami Lakes. Whether you’re moving elsewhere in the Miami area, or relocating to an entirely different city or state, our experienced professional movers can work with your company to ensure that all your equipment and furniture is transported safely. To find out more, call us any time.