Ingredients for a Successful Lab Relocation

A laboratory relocation is a lot like a recipe. For everything to come together in the end, there are steps, processes, and measures that need to be taken. While it’s critical to have all of the necessary ingredients, it’s also key to put them in the right order. Just as there was likely some trial and error when attempting to bake the first cake, the relocation of your laboratory, its equipment and assets don’t have the luxury of a learning curve.

This is why experience matters in getting you from point A to point B on time and on budget. Just like getting your meal from the pantry to the kitchen to the table requires a process, so does getting your lab safely and efficiently to its new location; these are the steps.

• Determine the scope of work to be performed (critical to understand the scope and scale of the relocation)

• Determine the relocation timeline (timing is crucial to keep your operations on schedule)

• Identify the hierarchy of mission-critical assets and placement (understanding what equipment takes priority will help create an efficient plan)

• Review the site considerations with Facilities and IT (it’s important to know what to expect and what will be needed in terms of collaboration)

• Establish packing protocols and site considerations with movers (communicating the proper handling of the instrumentation is essential to mitigate risk and damage while moving)

• Establish EH&S protocols with technicians

• Inventory each instrument and its components (each asset needs to be cataloged to ensure everything arrives in the proper condition)

• Identify compliancy documentation as required (the proper documentation for compliance completed as necessary)

• Confirm site ready preparedness (before moving, the new site needs to be ready for the instrumentation to be delivered and installed)

• Benchmark the instrumentation (the instrumentation needs to be benchmarked to establish its condition and performance before it is moved)

• De-install and pack instrumentation (instrumentation needs to be properly de-installed and safely packed for relocation)

• Move instrumentation (all instrumentation and assets will be moved to the new location)

• Unpack and reinstall instrumentation (all instrumentation will be properly unpacked and reinstalled at the new location)

• Benchmark, qualify or validate as required post-move (once in the new lab, all equipment will be benchmarked, qualified, and validated as necessary to ensure it is the same condition and operating as it was before the move)

These are all the typical steps that make up the laboratory relocation process. This process is a full-time job, which is why the experienced, expert engineers and project managers at Overbrook handle it for you. With proven strategies and experience, downtime, cost, and risk can all be mitigated by outsourcing your next relocation, restoring your peace of mind.