Pickfords provide Aberdeen Standard Investments with an “in-house” move team of 4 based at its Edinburgh headquarters. pickfords has moved more than 2500 members of staff, and provides ASI with a managed storage service that provides space quickly to facilitate ongoing internal and external moves.
Client Requirements
Following its legal split from Standard Life, Aberdeen Standard Investments, ASI had a large number of investment and display artwork pieces that needed to be redistributed from its previous estates.
Pickfords was asked to assist in the packing, relocation and environmental storage of the artwork which had a combined value of £1.8 million.
Challenges
The Pickfords in-house team is well placed to manage any on-site issues directly with ASI’s Facilities Management team.
Some of the artwork pieces were very large, and the stair access was also not big enough, so a plan and strategy to deliver the pieces safely to the client address was devised.
Part of this strategy involved craning pieces to the destination address balcony to get the work into the building.
Bad weather conditions also presented a challenge to the move team, so a second day was factored into the move plan.
Solution
Following discussions with ASI, Pickfords devised a plan to ensure:
- The appropriate pre-protection materials were in place prior to the relocation to the environmentally controlled storage facility.
- A valuation inventory with photographic evidence was also developed for the project.
- Packing materials included acid-free paper, Plastezote, artwork soft packing sheeting and wooden crates.
- The Pickfords Operational Team manufactured a storage container to accommodate the artwork.
- A Joiner completed the internal fit-out of the containers to suit all the artwork in individual sectional dividers.
Approach to health and safety in a 'live environment'
Crew briefings take place daily to ensure that all staff are clear on the objectives for that day.
Any Pickfords staff member allocated to this contract is fully aware of ASI’s site rules (including Health & Safety, and COVID 19 regulations, alarms, fire precautions, entry and exit points from each site).
The on-site Team Leader conducts risk assessments onsite for all small move requirements, with the Pickfords Project Manager carrying them out for all larger projects.
Summary
- The moves were completed on time and within budget
- Pickfords continues to move artworks from its local storage facilities, and ASI buildings depending on the artwork change requests of ASI’s Art Collection Project Managers
- Contract performance is reviewed every quarter and ASI regularly report 100% satisfaction