Lab Move Client – Merck
Lab Move Location – Danville, Pennsylvania
Lab Move Destination – Columbus, Georgia
Lab Move Timetable – 2020
In mid-2020, Merck transitioned its facility in Danville, Pennsylvania. BTI was charged with moving a lab at the facility from Danville to Columbus, Georgia. The building itself, a 200,000-square-foot facility, was being torn down. All equipment from the 20,000 square-foot lab was to be shipped to Georgia.
The equipment to be moved included a wide range of items: autoclave, glassware, benches, freezers, coolers, bio safety cabinets, orbital shakers, fume hoods, acid-resistant tops and case goods. Since the current lab was in an older building, the items had to be removed via crane out a window. BTI contracted Zartman Crane & Construction to provide crane services for the project.
At this particular lab—a fermentation lab–Merck produced gel caps for pharmaceuticals. It would take several trailers to get the project done right and working at the plant would require our team to attend safety training at the site and adhere to Merck’s strict protocols for providing services. All these issues needed to be considered in the move to make sure the project went smooth.
Additionally, since the building was being torn down, a large number of workstations and pieces of furniture stations would not be making the move to the new location. BTI would be responsible for decommissioning and disposing of those items.
The move took place from January 6, 2020 to February 28, 2020. On February 28, the last trailer load had been delivered and the process of rebuilding the plant and lab could commence at the Columbus, Georgia site.
Dave Becker of Merck had this to say about working with BTI:
“Working with George from BTI made it easy to make sure the safety plam was being followed and the team was following the recommended safety protocols. Daily check in was required and Lift plans were reviewed, and proper securement and safety plans were approved to our satisfaction. The crew was attentive and provided a safe work environment while on site.”
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