Pressing deadlines, pressure for results and project milestones all mean it’s essential to minimise downtime when relocating laboratories. Decommissioning lab equipment leads to a drop in productivity and potentially costly delays.
This guide looks at the main risks to operations when moving labs and how to build a relocation strategy with a lab move specialist such as Benchmark Services.
Here are some of our tips for minimising downtime during a laboratory relocation:
Planning ahead for the impact of lab downtime:
Investing time in preparation and planning before relocating your laboratory is essential for a successful move with minimal downtime. You should work with a laboratory specialist to develop a relocation plan and consider the following elements:
- What is access like at both locations? Will time be required to move through restricted areas or to floors above ground level?
- Which equipment will take the longest time to move?
- What times of day present the most challenges for teams moving equipment or driving between locations?
- What storage facilities will be required during the lab move? How many phases will be required?
- Can there be a maintaining of science prior, during and after the move?
The more time you invest in planning a laboratory relocation, the better your contingencies will be when things change or issues occur, minimising downtime in the long run.
Benchmark Services provide full planning strategies and project management support, and we have over two decades of experience in moving labs. Speak to our team and tell us about your project here.
Prioritise the lab equipment to be moved first:
Laboratory equipment is sensitive, highly calibrated and requires specialist handling. Knowing which items will need the most time for decommissioning and re-calibrating at the new lab location will help create a prioritised list of critical equipment. If you require ULT freezers or LN2 Cryo transportation, you will need powered transport or storage, which will affect when they are moved to the new location.
If you don’t create a prioritised list of lab equipment, then you will endanger your current research and samples, plus you will encounter delays when bringing the machines back online.
Also consider working with a lab relocation partner who will install equipment in its exact location. Avoid equipment sitting in loading areas, uninstalled and increasing downtime.
Benchmark Services are specialists in moving labs; we will work in partnership with your team for site visits and project management. For more information, click here.
Phased Move:
A phased move involves moving equipment and instruments in stages so that only certain parts of the laboratory are disrupted at any one time. Phased moves allow you to maintain some level of laboratory functionality during the relocation, reducing downtime and minimising the impact on ongoing research.
Depending on the scale of your relocation, planning the move in phases can protect operational capacity. Lab moves can take one of two forms:
- A fast move conducted out of hours: This is completed in one phase, scheduled to have the smallest impact on access to the laboratory. This can be completed in 24 hours for labs with a very tight operational timetable.
- A larger phased move: This sort of project is much bigger in scale, with multiple departments being relocated. A phased approach allows remaining teams to keep working and remain as productive as possible, with moves completed out of hours.
Phased moves work best when equipment has been correctly assessed and prioritised for decommissioning and recalibration. This means teams aren’t waiting for their lab resources to be installed, preventing them from working.
Communication during the lab relocation:
A laboratory relocation has a lot of moving parts. From furniture removal and sample security through to staff training and equipment recalibration, there is a lot that can slip or go wrong if communication isn’t right throughout laboratory operations.
A logistics company such as Benchmark Services will provide full project management, including communication to laboratory personnel when you need it. An “off-the-shelf” logistics business will often only provide a customer services email or a phone number to a distant team. A specialist will provision for full account management and on-site support teams.
Contact our team to find out more
Where are the critical bottlenecks that cause laboratory downtime?
Every lab relocation project has potential bottlenecks that can add delays to completion or potentially extensive downtime. Knowing where these issues might occur and how to mitigate them should be a key part of your relocation planning.
Access to the lab
Laboratories that are part of an older facility or have found themselves in a building that wasn’t built for modern-day research requirements will often have access restrictions which need to be accounted for. Sometimes, if a lab is located in the middle of a city, there will also be issues regarding traffic, parking and travel times between sites.
Work with your relocation partner to map out the route of travel for equipment at both sites, and then the actual journey between the old site and the new laboratory. This will highlight issues regarding weight, stairs or lift capacities, access to floors above ground level and disruption to staff or other businesses.
A relocation specialist, such as Benchmark Services, will arrange for out-of-hours access to your laboratory to ensure staff aren’t hindered, traffic is at its lightest, and equipment can be moved safely through empty buildings. Safe access for people and equipment is paramount, and your plan will need to reflect this.
Decommissioning and reinstalling equipment
Sensitive and precise equipment takes expertise to move safely, but before it can be moved and signed off in its new location, it needs to be decommissioned and then reinstalled. If you have created a clear priority of equipment, then the next stage is to schedule in lead times for decommissioning and cleaning, and recalibration and installation at the new site.
There is a significant risk of increasing lab downtime if your machinery, samples, freezers and equipment are sitting in the new site, but completely unusable. Worse, some transport companies will only deliver to loading bays, leaving your team with the unenviable task of moving heavy and expensive equipment across the new site.
Benchmark Services will provide complete last-mile delivery, install directly to the end location, and we have third-party partners who can assist with recycling and commissioning of equipment significantly reducing downtime in your laboratory.
New location in operation
Is your new location going to be ready to move into on the dates you require? Sometimes moving labs is hindered by a gap in ownership or rental periods between locations. If you have a fixed deadline to leave your current location, but can’t access the new location immediately, then lab downtime will depend on how efficiently you can store and move furniture and equipment in between.
Storing laboratory equipment requires an expert understanding of temperature fluctuations, preventing power outages and avoiding shocks or knocks. A standard self-store organisation won’t have the flexibility to provide transport companies with the right access, or the provisions required to maintain exceptionally expensive equipment.
Benchmark Services can work with your team to provide flexible warehousing designed for laboratory relocations. We offer short- or long-term storage options, and we can collect from your old laboratory and deliver to the new location when it’s ready to go.
This end-to-end lab relocation service is extremely rare and one of the main benefits of working with a specialist. Visit our warehousing page to find out more or speak to our team.
Avoiding laboratory downtime by working with lab relocation specialists
Relocating laboratories requires meticulous planning to avoid lengthy and costly lab equipment downtime and to mitigate the risk to research. Work with a specialist lab relocation partner who has extensive expertise and can provide end-to-end project management, site visits and storage when required.
Benchmark Services have over two decades of experience moving labs across the UK. Get in touch with our team for a quote on your project.
Avoiding Laboratory Downtime: Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should a lab relocation be planned to avoid downtime?
If the lab move is a large project, then build in several months for the relocation plan, site visits, equipment assessments and staff communications. If the project is only a few pieces of equipment or a very short journey, then planning should be made a month in advance. The decision-making process is dependent on the scale and complexity of the move.
What is the biggest cause of unplanned delays in a laboratory relocation?
Access issues are common contributing factors in laboratory downtime during a move. After the move has been completed, getting the equipment back up to spec and underway again can be the biggest reason for unplanned downtime.
To avoid lab downtime, should a move be planned out of hours or over a weekend?
The moving process will be assessed based on the location of the two laboratories, the access to site, other organisations that will be impacted by the move and laboratory staff considerations. If a lab is inner city, with access restrictions, in a shared unit or campus and with busy corridors, then out of hours would be the best option. If the laboratory is rural with quiet roads, low staff numbers and easy ground floor access, then it could be completed during working hours.