SECTOR FOCUS: LOGISTICS Make your move T
he logistics industry is remarkable in its diversity, providing a huge range of services to its customers, and requiring a huge range of skills. Within this, Harrow Green has carved out its own niche in specialist commercial relocation, working out of regional centres, including a busy office in Birmingham. Providing the specialist set of skills needed for commercial moves, Harrow Green has delivered a number of logistically complex relocations including museum collections, libraries and hospitals as well as time-critical business relocations. In 2014, this specialised sector sees a wealth of new and exciting opportunities. In the Midlands economy as elsewhere, developments in technology mean that everything is moving more quickly. New technologies also mean that Harrow Green can develop systems needed to provide those speedy services its customers need.
CASE STUDY QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL, BIRMINGHAM
Harrow Green was the specialist services provider for the relocation of patients and hospital equipment into the £545 million Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. This was a massive logistical exercise relying on meticulous planning. Moving quickly was crucial. During Phase 1, this project saw the largest and speediest transfer of patient moves to date in the UK. Over a three-day period Harrow Green, in conjunction with West Midlands Ambulance Service and to a timetable set by the hospital, transferred the wards and support services of 415 inpatients from Selly Oak Hospital, with on average one patient being moved every five minutes. In total, Harrow Green carried out 1,900 separate moves, ranging from full departments and wards to individual offices, in nine days. To achieve a move of such complexity, Harrow Green uses bespoke software, and good old-fashioned teamwork.
The latest developments also provided Harrow Green with new opportunities when protecting the firm’s heritage. These days, safe storage does not mean that items have to be completely hidden away as new digital technologies mean that archives can be moved and stored while still allowing access to the material. The company is also seeing new advances in recycling and re-use.
There is an appetite in the industry to work with local communities to promote technologies and behaviours that reduce the environmental impact of the industry. Harrow Green’s constant innovation in prioritising re-use over recycling helps its clients deliver their own CSR targets.
CASE STUDY NORTH LEAMINGTON SCHOOL, LEAMINGTON SPA
Harrow Green undertook this complex move from three sites to a new building. It quickly developed into a major recycling project. With the installation of new furniture and equipment, much of the old furniture inevitably became redundant. The first step was to find a home for redundant furniture and equipment, either through re-sale or by working with a distribution partner. Unsuitable furniture was broken up for recycling. Metalwork was recycled locally using a specialist metal recycling company. Wood was recycled for use in panel-board manufacture, and melamine-facing board was reprocessed for a variety of uses, including bio-fuel for power stations. The bulk of the re-usable furniture – three articulated truckloads – went to a social enterprise organisation providing low-cost furniture to businesses.
Investing in new processes and technologies will, in the long term, make businesses more viable, meeting customers’ needs for speed and efficiency, while minimising the industry’s impact on the environment. In this 24/7 world, there is a bright future for companies with a positive approach and the confidence to make the most of today’s opportunities.
76 GREATER BIRMINGHAM CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE DIRECTORY 2014/15
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