Brookline Transportation, Inc. (BTI), a Mayflower Van Lines agent specializing in commercial, laboratory and residential moves, recently completed a six-month closure and relocation of GCP Applied Technologies’ Alewife Center complex in Cambridge, Massachusetts. IQHQ purchased the 300,000 square foot location in 2020, with closure to be completed by end of 2021.
GCP makes sustainable concrete and cement solutions. Closing the Cambridge, Mass. facility involved the removal/disposal of materials and chemicals as well as the relocation of labs, administrative, shipping, research and development and other company departments.
“The closing of the GCP facility involved a number of partnerships with specialists. For example, the removal of the chemicals was done in collaboration with Clean Harbors. Those chemicals were stored by Crystal Transport,” said George Rohlfing, president of BTI.
Rohlfing served as the closure/relocation’s project manager from March 2021 to the final day, December 21, 2021.
Many of the items removed from the GCP Cambridge location were to be relocated to a new GCP facility in Wilmington, Massachusetts. With the buildout of that location in process, GCP needed to store those items. Rather than unload and store those items in BTI’s Hanover, Massachusetts-based facility, they kept the cargo in “road worthy” trailers at their Hanover, Massachusetts headquarters and a location in Lakeville, MA, until the completion of the buildout—saving GCP significant cost.
BTI also saved GCP money by utilizing its network of non-profit organizations looking for lightly used equipment and electronics.
“Perhaps the most rewarding part of this project was the number of non-profits we worked with,” said Rohlfing. “Instead of throwing everything out, we found homes for numerous items. That included donating a nurse’s station and furniture to the Stoneham Public Schools and office furniture, computer equipment and electronics to several third-world countries via a local non-profit. GCP received a tax credit for the donation.”
There were a number of relocated items that went to other GCP locations across the country. Utilizing the Mayflower network, BTI shipped a 5,000-poound slip tester to Monterey, Tennessee. The slip tester is a machine used to test GCP materials used on roofing systems. Additionally, shipments went to GCP facilities in Downer’s Grove, Illinois and Alpharetta, Georgia.
BTI offers a wide range of moving services for wide variety of laboratories. Specialties include: research; life science; food service; water testing; coating; butterfly lab; ocean research labs; planetary sciences; virology labs; hearing labs; shock compression lab; coatings/wet and dry labs; fermentation; labs; magnet labs; chemical labs; pharmaceutical labs; and petroleum R&D labs.
In addition to the planning and actual move, BTI lab relocation services include coordination with facilities and IT staff at both origin and destination to ensure a smooth transition for the lab to reopen ASAP at the new location. Additionally, BTI’s lab relocation division can offer storage options on both ends of a move should the facility need time to assimilate the new lab into the building.
For complete information on BTI’s lab relocation services, please visit www.labmovers.com or call 800-766-7724.
