Laboratory and medical equipment moves require expertise, equipment, and accountability that most moving companies simply can't provide. DeHaven's Transfer & Storage has been handling specialized equipment moves across North Carolina's Research Triangle for more than seventy years, including extensive work for Duke University, UNC, and NC State. We are based in Durham, in the heart of one of the largest life sciences clusters in the country, and we move laboratory instruments, medical equipment, and research facilities for the universities, hospitals, biotech companies, and research organizations that define the Triangle economy. Whether you're relocating a research laboratory within Research Triangle Park, moving an imaging suite for a Durham hospital, transferring equipment between university buildings, or relocating a clinical lab anywhere in the region, we have the experience, infrastructure, and references to handle the project safely and on schedule.
Serving the Heart of North Carolina's Life Sciences Corridor
Few places in the country have a denser concentration of laboratories and research facilities than the North Carolina Research Triangle, and few movers are as well positioned to serve it as a Durham-based company that has been doing this work since 1951.
Research Triangle Park alone covers roughly 7,000 acres and is home to hundreds of research and development facilities and life sciences companies. The broader Research Triangle Region, anchored by Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, contains the large majority of North Carolina's life science companies. Add the research campuses of the three major universities (Duke in Durham, UNC in Chapel Hill, and NC State's Centennial Campus in Raleigh), the area's major hospital systems, the steadily growing biotech manufacturing presence in towns like Morrisville and beyond, and the result is a regional economy built on laboratories, instruments, and sensitive equipment.
All of that equipment occasionally needs to move. When a research lab expands, when a department relocates to a new building, when a biotech company outgrows its space, when a hospital renovates a floor, or when an instrument needs to be transferred across town or across the country, it needs a mover that understands what's involved. DeHaven's is that mover.
Trusted by Major Research and Healthcare Institutions
Over more than seven decades in business, DeHaven's has been entrusted with sensitive equipment moves for some of the most demanding clients in North Carolina. We've handled extensive work for Duke University, UNC, and NC State across decades of academic, research, and laboratory relocations. Beyond the universities, we've moved equipment for hospitals, medical practices, dental offices, and specialty healthcare providers across the region. These credentials reflect what we bring to every specialty move: technical capability, careful planning, full documentation, and accountability from the first walkthrough to the final placement.
Equipment We Move
Our team is trained and equipped to handle a wide range of medical, laboratory, and research equipment, including:
Medical and Imaging Equipment:
- MRI machines
- CT and CAT scanners
- X-ray and fluoroscopy equipment
- Ultrasound machines
- Mammography units
- PET scanners
- Linear accelerators
- Hospital beds and ICU equipment
- Surgical and operating room equipment
- Sterilizers and autoclaves
- Anesthesia and patient monitoring systems
Laboratory and Research Equipment:
- Research and analytical microscopes
- Centrifuges and ultracentrifuges
- Mass spectrometers
- Gas and liquid chromatography systems (GC, HPLC)
- PCR machines and thermocyclers
- Biosafety cabinets and fume hoods
- Incubators and tissue culture equipment
- Ultra-low freezers and cryogenic storage
- Lab benches, fume hoods, and casework
- Glove boxes and isolators
- Spectrophotometers and analyzers
Pharmaceutical and Biotech Equipment:
- Bioreactors and fermenters
- Filling, capping, and packaging equipment
- Tablet presses and coating equipment
- Cleanroom equipment and modular cleanrooms
- GMP manufacturing equipment
Dental and Specialty Medical:
- Dental chairs and operatory equipment
- Dental imaging systems
- Specialty examination equipment
- Veterinary medical equipment
Industries We Serve
Universities and Research Institutions
The Triangle's three major research universities (Duke, UNC, and NC State) drive a substantial share of the region's laboratory moving demand. Our work for these institutions includes academic laboratory moves, research equipment relocations, departmental transitions between buildings, and the careful logistics that come with moving active research projects. We understand the unique demands of university work: coordinating around academic calendars, working in occupied research buildings, handling sensitive instruments, and meeting the requirements of facilities and project management teams. NC State's Centennial Campus, the medical and research facilities at Duke, and the research buildings at UNC all present the kind of complex institutional logistics our team has handled for decades.
Biotech, Pharmaceutical, and Life Sciences Companies
Research Triangle Park and the surrounding region host one of the largest concentrations of biotech and pharmaceutical operations in the country, from early-stage startups in incubator space to major manufacturing campuses. As these companies launch, grow, relocate, and expand, their laboratories and equipment move with them. Our team handles lab-to-lab transitions, equipment relocations, cleanroom moves, and the specialty logistics that life sciences companies require, with the documentation and care these moves demand.
Hospitals and Health Systems
We handle moves for hospitals, ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, urgent care facilities, and outpatient clinics throughout the Triangle, including full floor relocations, department moves, and single-equipment transitions during renovations.
Medical Practices and Specialty Clinics
We handle relocations for primary care, specialty practices, dental offices, dermatology, ophthalmology, urgent care, and other medical practice transitions, coordinating around patient schedules and minimizing disruption to care.
Veterinary and Animal Research
We handle equipment moves for veterinary practices, animal research facilities, and laboratory animal care operations, including the specialized equipment and protocols these settings require.
Our Specialized Fleet and Equipment
Specialty equipment requires specialty transport. DeHaven's operates a fleet built for sensitive moves:
- Air-ride suspension trucks for vibration-sensitive equipment
- Climate-controlled trailers for temperature-sensitive items
- Flat-bed trailers for oversized or non-standard equipment
- Lift gate trucks for safe loading and unloading of heavy items
- Specialty rigging equipment for heavy machinery and unusual configurations
- Custom crating capabilities for fragile and high-value items
- Padded blankets, shrink wrap, and shock-absorbing materials for in-transit protection
As a North American Van Lines agent since 1960, we also have access to NAVL's specialized equipment network for moves that require additional capacity or specialty resources beyond our local fleet.
Storage and Staging for Equipment Moves
Many medical and laboratory moves involve a phase where equipment needs to be stored, staged, or held during a renovation or transition. Our Durham warehouse offers monitored, alarmed, and surveilled storage with fire suppression, custom crating capabilities, and the staging space to support large multi-phase projects. Whether you need short-term storage during a facility renovation or longer-term warehousing during a multi-year project, our team can build a storage solution to match. Learn more about our Storage services.
How We Handle Medical Equipment and Laboratory Moves
Specialty moves start with understanding the equipment, the timeline, and the constraints of your facility. After your initial inquiry, we schedule a walkthrough to scope the project, identify equipment that requires specialty handling, and understand your operational needs.
From there, we develop a detailed move plan covering disconnection and decommissioning coordination, packing and crating specifications, equipment-specific handling protocols, transport requirements, site protection at both origin and destination, and reinstallation or placement at the new location. For equipment requiring vendor decommissioning or recommissioning, we coordinate with your manufacturer service representatives so the move integrates with their schedule.
Once you approve the plan, you're assigned a dedicated move coordinator who manages the project from planning through final placement. Our crews handle the move with the protocols and care your equipment requires, your coordinator stays in contact throughout, and we follow up after the move to confirm everything is in order.
Documentation and Compliance
Specialty equipment moves require documentation that most residential moves don't. We routinely provide certificates of coverage, valuation coverage documentation, and any other paperwork your facility, hospital system, university, or building management may require. For projects involving regulated equipment or environments, we work with your facility's compliance team to ensure handling protocols meet your requirements.
Serving Laboratories Across the Research Triangle and Beyond
DeHaven's provides medical equipment and laboratory moving services throughout the Research Triangle and across North Carolina, including Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cary, Morrisville, Apex, and the surrounding communities, as well as Research Triangle Park and the university research campuses. We also serve the Piedmont Triad, the Charlotte Metro, the Wilmington area, and points across eastern and western North Carolina. Through our North American Van Lines partnership, we handle interstate medical equipment and laboratory moves to and from any location in the United States, and we coordinate international moves of medical and research equipment through NAVL's worldwide network.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you handle laboratory moves within Research Triangle Park?
Yes. Research Triangle Park and the surrounding region are our home territory. We handle lab relocations, equipment moves, and facility transitions for research and life sciences operations throughout RTP, the university research campuses, and the broader Triangle. Our Durham base puts our crews, trucks, and warehouse minutes from most RTP-area facilities.
Do you provide documentation for medical and laboratory moves?
Yes. We routinely provide certificates of coverage, valuation coverage documentation, and any other paperwork your facility, hospital system, university, or building management may require. We can typically issue these documents within one business day of request.
Can you coordinate with our equipment manufacturers and service vendors?
Yes. Many medical and laboratory equipment moves require coordination with manufacturer service representatives for decommissioning at the origin and recommissioning at the destination. We work with your vendor schedules to ensure the move integrates cleanly with their service appointments.
How far in advance should we book a medical equipment or laboratory move?
For most projects, we recommend booking 6 to 12 weeks in advance. Larger projects (full hospital floors, multi-laboratory relocations, pharmaceutical manufacturing moves) often require 3 to 6 months of lead time, especially when manufacturer coordination is involved. Smaller single-equipment moves can sometimes be scheduled with shorter notice.
Do you handle decontamination, calibration, or vendor-specific commissioning?
We don't perform decontamination, calibration, or vendor-specific recommissioning ourselves. Those services are typically handled by the equipment manufacturer's service team or a specialty vendor. We coordinate with your decontamination and commissioning vendors to ensure the move schedule aligns with their work.
Do your trucks have climate control for temperature-sensitive equipment?
Yes. Our fleet includes climate-controlled trailers for moves involving temperature-sensitive equipment. We also have access to NAVL's specialized equipment network for moves that require additional capacity or specialty climate-controlled transport.
Can you store equipment between phases of a renovation or relocation?
Yes. Our Durham warehouse offers monitored, alarmed, and surveilled storage with fire suppression. We can store medical equipment, laboratory instruments, or research materials for short-term project storage or longer-term warehousing as your project requires.
Do you handle interstate or international medical equipment moves?
Yes. As a North American Van Lines agent, we handle interstate moves of medical and laboratory equipment to and from any location in the United States, and we coordinate international moves through NAVL's worldwide network of specialty equipment partners.
Request a Medical Equipment or Laboratory Moving Quote
Every specialty equipment project is different, and we build custom quotes based on the equipment involved, the scope of the move, the timeline, and any vendor coordination, storage, or specialty transport requirements. To request a quote, fill out our project quote form or call our commercial team directly. We'll schedule a walkthrough, review the equipment list and project details, and put together a detailed proposal so you know exactly what to expect from a team that's been handling specialty equipment moves in the Research Triangle since 1951.
