Case Study

Relocating a Large Biomedical Company

Business Transformation

Axentia Biotech was engaged to programme manage the relocation of a leading UK Forensic Science business from its existing facility, creating a new flagship HQ with state-of-the-art laboratories in West London and a DNA Centre of Excellence in the North West.

The Challenge

Planning and leading a two-year programme to relocate the business, from initial consultation and announcement, the delivery of multiple new laboratory accreditations and start-ups, to the final closure of the existing facility.

Scale

Multi-million-pound budget
Six major departments relocated
200 people moved
60 major instruments and 53 scientific processes fully re-accredited post-move by UKAS
115,000 sq ft site opened in West London
35,000 sq ft remodelled at a North West Science Park

What Impact Did Axentia Have?

Axentia Biotech, a division of Axentia Group, brought extensive experience to the table. The team mobilised by Axentia managed change and took workload pressure off the organisation’s senior team, allowing them to fully focus on their day jobs. By planning the change process and providing project managers to execute the two-year programme, Axentia worked in close collaboration with the client to ensure the successful delivery of a strategically critical business need, providing them with the necessary tools for growth.

Our Approach

Once the scope of the programme had been agreed upon with the client, Axentia Biotech’s Programme Manager worked closely with the organisation’s senior team to break down the two-year programme into phases and set up 11 workstreams to deliver the project.

By taking the time to understand the organisation’s culture, Axentia could employ the right services for the task at hand and ensure the approach taken fitted well within the client’s organisation.

Key Activities Delivered

11 workstreams set up to cover all areas, including building construction, people consultation and transfer, equipment transfer, finances and communications. Internal resources were allocated against the structure to provide leaders and teams for each workstream.

Axentia then provided leadership to this group to develop and manage detailed plans for each workstream. Additional Axentia resources were engaged to project manage the detailed transfer plans.

Governance set up to manage the project teams and to keep the senior internal management team connected to the programme throughout.

Axentia took on responsibility for all customer communication relating to the programme, leading regular communication sessions with all major customers in collaboration with Commercial Department representatives. Full line-level budgets created (spanning the two-year programme) and managed directly by Axentia with monthly reports provided to the organisation.