The Pirbright Institute

Johnsons Lab Logistics – top of the class for The Pirbright Institute

The Situation

The Pirbright Institute aims to prevent and control viral diseases of livestock and those that spread from animals to people.

In 2015, managers recognised a need to relocate research laboratories from Compton in Berkshire to Woking in Surrey.

This would involve moving a number of specialist pieces of equipment (such as real-time PCR systems, incubators, HPLC systems, microscopes, centrifuges and Spectrophotometers), laboratory samples, and liquid nitrogen storage.

The Solution

We planned the relocation in two phases – June to August 2015, and January to February 2016.

Our detailed project management programme involved:

• Using specialist ADR-compliant polystyrene boxes to transfer most samples, with a combination of gel packs and dry ice;
• Moving samples in -80 and -150 freezers in powered transport;
• Transporting LN samples on fumes in their liquid nitrogen cryostor;
• Relocating assets without any disruption to the ongoing science;
• Clearing redundant furniture;
• Co-ordinating our IT team (undertaking decommissioning and re-commissioning works) and moves team;
• Allowing flexibility due to the changing requirements;
• Controlling and managing multiple disciplinary teams across both sites;
• Ensuring the integrity of the samples was maintained during transit.

The Outcome

The recycling works were delivered with zero landfill and huge CO2 savings that allowed The Pirbright Institute to use against their environmental targets.

Client Quote

A spokesperson from The Pirbright Institute said:

“We had very positive feedback from the end users regarding all the crews involved in the move. They were polite, helpful, and extremely efficient.”