Pickfords Business Solutions was selected by Swansea University to relocate two schools of over 3,000 staff, students and academics, including laboratory equipment and 2,100 linear metres of shelving.
Key facts:
- 3,000+ students, staff and academics
- 2,100 linear metres of shelving
- 6,400 80 litre crates
- Laboratory equipment, hazardous materials, 3D printer, X-ray machine, flight simulator
Background:
Swansea University is the third largest university in Wales, hosting 16,000 undergraduate and post-graduate students every year.
Requirements:
Pickfords Business Solutions was selected to relocate Swansea University’s College of Engineering and School of Management from their Singleton Park Campus to the new-state-of-the-art Bay Campus, located seven miles West of the existing site and consisting of eight buildings.
The University required filing, books, IT equipment, furniture, laboratory equipment and bespoke specialist industrial machinery to be moved across the campuses over a five month period.
The University also required redundant furniture and engineering equipment to be recycled.
Construction delays meant that Pickfords was required to work around incomplete buildings and access issues.
Planning:
Pickfords Business Solutions produced a comprehensive move plan following a series of strategic planning meetings with the University.
The plan ensured that the removal project met the needs of the building, staff and students.
Solution:
Pickfords’ on-site move manager liaised with University staff throughout the project to ensure a smooth execution.
Pickfords worked with specialist subcontractors to ensure the high specification equipment was decommissioned safely and in line with the rest of the move project.
Teams of Pickfords removal men worked on-site in shift rotations, Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm each weekday for the duration of the project.
Construction delays were addressed by allowing flexibility in the move plan, rearranging the moves of certain items to accommodate for the fluid building schedule.
Building access issues were overcome by deconstructing items to their barest parts and removing doorframes to make room for the largest items.
Pickfords frequently liaised with on-site security and local traffic management to ensure sufficient road access for removal vehicles when required.
Result:
The project was delivered on time and on budget, to the complete satisfaction of Swansea University.
As a result of the successful relocation, Pickfords Business Solutions is in discussions with the University to carry out additional move projects, including IT relocation.