Rigging-Busters provides industrial rigging services to plants, tool and die shops and mould makers in Windsor and across Essex County. Our riggers lift, skid, load and set heavy machinery: stamping presses, injection moulding machines and moulds, CNC machining centres and complete production lines, whether the machine moves one bay over, to a new building in Tecumseh or across the river to Michigan.
Looking for a rigging company in Windsor for one machine, or professional rigging contractors for a retool or a plant move? Tell us what has to move and where. We confirm the method, the crew and any permits, and the estimate is free.
- Industrial work only: machines, moulds, dies and plant equipment. No household or office contents.
- One crew from start to finish: rigging, skidding, loading, transport, set-in-place, levelling and millwright installation.
- Quick answers: quotes within 2–4 business hours once we have the machine details.
- Where we work: Windsor, Essex County and Chatham-Kent, plus cross-border jobs to Detroit and Michigan. See our Windsor service area.
Need a rough number first? Our Heavy Lifting & Moving Calculator gives a quick price range before you ask for an exact quote.
or give a call +1-519-800-5124
How We Rig and Lift Machinery in Windsor
The load decides the plan. A moulding machine with a heavy clamp end, a top-heavy press and a transfer line that comes apart in sections each need a different method, so our crew works through every Windsor job in this order:
- Check the machine and the building. From photos, drawings or a site walk we confirm the weight, centre of gravity and lifting points, plus door and ceiling clearances, floor capacity, and any trenches or pits on the way out.
- Choose the method and plan each lift. Skates, a hydraulic gantry, jack-and-roll or a forklift, sized to the load. A crane comes in only when the lift needs one, through a licensed crane partner. Outdoor lifts keep the load and gear at least 3 m (10 ft) from power lines of 750 V to 150 kV, as O. Reg. 213/91 requires.
- Your team gets the machine ready. Your maintenance team locks it out and drains oil and coolant, your licensed electricians disconnect power, and the OEM or your toolroom backs up the controls and secures loose tooling.
- Rig and raise. Rated slings, shackles and spreader bars go on at the lifting points, and the machine is jacked off its levelling pads onto skates or into the gantry.
- Skid out and load. The machine rolls along the planned route to the dock or yard, onto the trailer, and is chained and blocked for the road.
- Haul with the right permits. City of Windsor, Essex County or MTO permits are in place before the truck moves, and Michigan-bound loads have their crossing planned.
- Set, level and hand over. We lower the machine onto its pads, level and anchor it, and hand it to your electricians and the OEM for start-up.
Industrial Rigging Equipment Our Crew Uses
We bring specialized rigging equipment matched to the machine and the building:
- Machinery skates and toe jacks to roll heavy machines across a shop floor
- Hydraulic gantries for lifts where there is no overhead crane, or the crane is too light
- Jack-and-roll for low roof trusses and long, heavy machine bases
- Forklifts and lift trucks for loading, unloading and short moves in the yard
- Rated slings, shackles, spreader bars and lifting beams, inspected before each job
- Steel cribbing and blocking for staged lifts
- Flatbed, step-deck and lowboy trailers chosen for the load height
Rigging Only or a Full Move
Rigging only: our riggers come to your plant to move machines between bays, take a line apart for a retool, or take a new machine off the carrier’s truck and set it on its pads. You keep your own transport, and we handle everything that needs rigging gear.
Full move: we rig, load, haul and set the machine at the new site, from across Windsor to Leamington or Detroit. Our machinery and equipment movers in Windsor page covers moving and transport in more detail, and heavy equipment loading and unloading in Windsor covers truck work on its own.
or give a call +1-519-800-5124
Oversize Permits: City of Windsor, Essex County and MTO
Many machines fit within normal size and weight limits and travel without a permit. When the truck and load are oversize, the route decides which road authority issues it:
- City of Windsor streets: a moving permit for the oversized load. The route approval form goes to the City’s Traffic Operations at least 72 hours before the move, and the Engineering Department then issues the permit.
- Essex County roads: a County moving permit when the vehicle and load are wider than 2.6 m, higher than 4.15 m, longer than 12.5 m (14.65 m for a semi-trailer) or over the legal weight. The County asks for at least 10 business days’ notice, and its permits do not cover roads under load restrictions, which include March 1 to April 30.
- Highways 401 and 3: provincial highways need an MTO oversize permit, applied for at least 5 business days before the trip.
We apply for the permits and book escorts where a permit calls for them. Build the lead time into your shutdown plan: the County’s 10 business days is the longest of the three.
Cross-Border Rigging Jobs Between Windsor and Detroit
Windsor-Essex sits less than a mile from metro Detroit, and much of the region’s manufacturing works across the border: moulds sent to a Michigan press shop, a machine bought at a US auction, or a line moving between sister plants. We rig and load the machine at your Windsor-Essex plant and arrange the cross-border transport to Detroit, the rest of Michigan or other US states. The Ambassador Bridge and the Gordie Howe International Bridge, open to traffic since July 2026, both connect the two cities; the crossing and route are planned around the load’s size, and your customs broker clears the shipment.
Set-in-Place, Levelling and Industrial Equipment Installation
The job is finished when the machine can run, not when it is off the truck. Our millwrights set it on its pads or plates, level it to the tolerance you or the OEM give us, anchor it where the floor needs it, and re-fit guards and parts that came off for the move. On a new line this is the industrial equipment installation step: each section goes to its layout mark so the OEM can align and commission it. Your licensed electricians disconnect and reconnect power; in Ontario, electrical work for hire needs a Licensed Electrical Contractor (O. Reg. 570/05).
or give a call +1-519-800-5124
Specialty Rigging and Machinery Moving for Windsor-Essex Industry
Windsor-Essex is home to more than 250 machine, tool, die and mould manufacturers and over 500 automation firms, according to Invest WindsorEssex, so much of the rigging here is heavy, precise and timed to a shutdown. Our specialty rigging services in the region cover:
- Injection moulding machines, moulds and mould bases
- Stamping presses and press brakes
- Machining centres, lathes, EDM and grinding machines (see CNC machine movers in Windsor)
- Transfer lines, robot cells, welding cells and conveyors
- Battery and EV production equipment
- Transformers, switchgear and generators (see transformer moving in Windsor)
- Printing and converting presses (see printing press movers in Windsor)
- Food processing and packaging lines
Industries We Serve in Windsor-Essex
Automotive anchors the region. Stellantis has its Canadian headquarters in Windsor, and NextStar Energy’s battery plant in east Windsor, now owned by LG Energy Solution, makes battery cells, modules and packs, mainly for energy storage systems, with Stellantis still among its customers. Around them work parts suppliers, tool, die and mould shops, automation builders and plastics moulders, with aerospace, food processing and medical-device plants across the county. Much of the rigging follows retools, line changeovers and plant consolidations.
Rigging Moulds, Mould Bases and Moulding Machines
Moulds are dense, valuable and easy to damage. We lift them only by their rated lifting points with swivel hoist rings or eye bolts, keep them level on cribbing or a mould cart, and band them down on the trailer so nothing shifts. Large injection moulding machines usually travel in sections: your team drains the hydraulic oil, the hoses and cables are tagged, and the clamp unit and injection unit are separated so they go back together the same way.
Presses, Transfer Lines and Battery-Plant Equipment
Stamping presses and press brakes are top-heavy and often taller than the door, so the plan decides whether a press goes out whole on skates or jack-and-roll, or comes apart into crown, slide and bed. Transfer lines, robot cells and conveyors move in the order they will be rebuilt, with every connection labelled. In battery and EV plants we follow the site’s own access, PPE and clean-area rules. For the auto side and whole-building moves, see auto and EV plant equipment rigging in Windsor.
Rigging Services Cost in Windsor: What Affects the Price
Every rigging job is priced on its own details, and the estimate is free. What moves the number:
- The weight, size and centre of gravity of each machine, and how many pieces it splits into
- Access at both ends: dock or grade-level doors, ceiling height, pits, mezzanines and floor capacity
- The method: skates, a gantry, jack-and-roll or a forklift. When a lift needs a crane, the crane partner’s time is included in your quote.
- Distance and route: a move inside the plant, across Essex County or over the border
- Permits and escorts for oversize loads, and the lead time they need
- Disassembly, crating, set-in-place, levelling and anchoring
- Timing: work inside a shutdown window or outside normal hours
For a rough range, try the Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator. For an exact price, send the details listed further down this page.
or give a call +1-519-800-5124
Areas We Cover in Windsor and Essex County
Our riggers cover all of Windsor, including the east-end industrial lands off Lauzon Parkway, where trucks reach the NextStar battery plant via Twin Oaks Drive. Next door in Tecumseh, the Oldcastle business park, which runs along Highway 401 and is split by Walker Road, is a significant industrial centre for Essex County. We also work across LaSalle, Amherstburg, Lakeshore, Essex, Kingsville and Leamington, and east into Chatham-Kent.
Whether you need a local rigging service for one machine or a crew for a full plant move, send the site address and we confirm the crew, the route and any permits. Further east, see industrial rigging services in London and industrial rigging in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Windsor-Area Cities and Towns We Serve
| City/Town | Province | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Windsor | Ontario | Canada |
| LaSalle | Ontario | Canada |
| Tecumseh | Ontario | Canada |
| Amherstburg | Ontario | Canada |
| Essex | Ontario | Canada |
| Lakeshore | Ontario | Canada |
| Leamington | Ontario | Canada |
| Kingsville | Ontario | Canada |
| Chatham-Kent | Ontario | Canada |
Why Windsor-Essex Plants Hire Our Equipment Riggers
Professional rigging services mean more than a truck and a strap. What Windsor-Essex plants get from our equipment riggers:
- Shop-floor methods first: we start with skates, gantries and jack-and-roll and bring in a partner crane only when the lift calls for it.
- One crew, one plan: rigging, transport and millwright set-in-place without a hand-off between three contractors.
- Permits and the border handled: City, County and MTO permits, escorts where required, and a crossing plan for Michigan loads.
- Built around your shutdown: the work is sequenced to your production schedule and the OEM’s start-up dates.
- Fast, clear quotes: a price within 2–4 business hours once we have the details, and free estimates.
A good fit: presses, moulds and moulding machines, CNC and EDM machines, robot cells, transfer lines, transformers and generators; one machine or a whole plant; in-plant moves, plant relocations, short-term storage between sites and cross-border jobs.
Not a fit: rigging supply and sling sales or a rigging shop; rigging rental; crane service or crane hire on its own; overhead crane repairs; forklift rental; sailboat and mast rigging; household moves; rigger jobs or rigging labourer work.
What to Send for an Exact Rigging Quote
Add these to your quote request and we can price the job without a second round of questions:
- The machine: make, model and weight, or a photo of the nameplate.
- Photos: the machine, the floor around it and the way out, including doors, docks and ramps.
- Both sites: the addresses, and whether either building has a working overhead crane.
- Scope: rigging only, or transport, set-in-place and levelling as well.
- Timing: your target dates or shutdown window, and any site safety or orientation rules.
- US deliveries: the delivery address in Michigan or elsewhere, and your customs broker’s contact.
Other Services in Windsor
See all our services in Windsor, or compare industrial rigging services in Toronto for jobs in the GTA.
You also might be interested in the following services within the area:
- Heavy Equipment & Machinery Movers in Windsor, ON
- Forklift Moving Service in Windsor, ON
- CNC Machine Movers in Windsor, ON
- Heavy Equipment Loading & Unloading in Windsor, ON
Location of our sales office:
3270 Electricity Dr, Windsor, ON N8W 5J1, Canada 👇
Industrial Rigging in Windsor: FAQ
Industrial rigging is the planning and work of lifting, moving and placing heavy machinery and plant equipment. Riggers work out the weight and centre of gravity, choose the gear, such as slings, skates, gantries or jack-and-roll, and move the load safely. In Windsor that often means presses, moulds and automation lines, rigged inside a working plant and set back in place for production.
Yes. Our riggers can come to your Windsor-Essex plant just to lift, skid and reposition machines, take a line apart for a retool, or unload a new machine from the carrier’s truck and set it on its pads. If the job later needs transport, the same crew can load and haul it. See heavy equipment loading and unloading in Windsor.
It depends on the machine and the job: weight and size, access at both buildings, the rigging method, distance, permits, and any set-in-place or levelling work. A crane lift, when needed, is done by a licensed partner and its time is included in your quote. For a rough range, use our Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator.
Only if the truck and load are oversize. On City streets, the City of Windsor needs a route approval at least 72 hours before the move, then issues a moving permit. Essex County roads need a County permit with at least 10 business days’ notice, and Highways 401 and 3 need an MTO permit, applied for at least 5 business days ahead. We apply for them.
Yes. We rig and load the machine at your Windsor-Essex plant and arrange cross-border transport to Detroit, the rest of Michigan and other states in the United States. The route and crossing are planned around the load’s size, and your customs broker clears the shipment. Tell us what has to happen at the delivery end, and we confirm it in the quote.
Yes. Windsor-Essex is home to more than 250 machine, tool, die and mould manufacturers, so this is core rigging work in the region. Moulds are lifted by their rated lifting points, kept level and banded in transit. Presses move whole or in sections depending on height and weight, and large moulding machines usually travel with the clamp and injection units split.
Heavy rigging is rigging for loads too heavy or awkward for ordinary handling equipment, such as large presses, transformers, moulding machines or long machine bases. It uses heavier gear and more planning: hydraulic gantries, jack-and-roll, steel cribbing, spreader bars and, for some lifts, a crane supplied by a licensed partner. Each step is checked against the load’s weight and centre of gravity.
Rigging is the preparation: choosing and attaching slings, shackles, beams or skates so the load is secure and balanced. Lifting is raising or lowering it with a hoist, gantry, jack, forklift or crane. On a machine move the two go together, and our crew plans both, so the rigging matches the lifting method and the load stays stable from the first pick to the final set.
No. We are an industrial rigging crew, not a crane rental company, a rigging shop or a supplier of slings and hardware. We bring our own gear to do the job for you. If a lift needs a crane, we arrange it through a licensed crane partner and include the crane time in your quote. For overhead crane service or forklift rental, contact a dealer.
All of Windsor and Essex County: Tecumseh and Oldcastle, LaSalle, Amherstburg, Lakeshore, Essex, Kingsville and Leamington, plus Chatham-Kent, the rest of southwestern Ontario and cross-border jobs to Michigan. Send both addresses with your quote request and we confirm the crew, route and any City, County or MTO permits. For complete moves, see machinery movers in Windsor.
