Vanguard completed the dismantling, heavy lifting and international transport of a Nissan 2,000t Rotem press from Pretoria, South Africa, to Mexico, combining hydraulic gantry lifting, modular transport and project cargo shipping.
The project began in June 2026 and also included a CNC machine, two compressors and a cooling tower, with Vanguard managing the operation from removal at the factory through to export.
A 600-tonne hydraulic gantry system was deployed to lift and dismantle the press. One of the main challenges was the factory floor, which was unable to support the concentrated loads generated as the equipment was moved through the facility.
Vanguard therefore installed a custom structural reinforcement and scaffolding arrangement beneath the transport and staging areas before moving the components on six-axle PST trailers.
The press crown alone weighed more than 200 tonnes before being dismantled to reduce its transport weight to around 100 tonnes.
Once transferred to the staging area, the equipment was protected using sheeting and wooden crate packaging ahead of the international transport phase.
The larger components were then moved to the Port of Richards Bay on a 10-axle modular trailer, where the complete shipment was prepared and loaded onto a vessel for transport to Mexico.
“From the initial dismantling and heavy lifting through to specialist sea freight packaging, transportation and project cargo shipping, our team managed every stage of the operation to ensure the equipment was handled safely, efficiently and in line with the project requirements,” said Marius Tembo, Engineer at Vanguard.
By combining lifting, factory extraction, specialist road transport, export preparation and ocean shipping within a single scope, Vanguard managed the complete relocation from the production facility in Pretoria to the international shipping stage.
