Since its founding in 2013 in Guilford, CT Quantum-Si has focused on allowing scientists to generate deeper insights more quickly. Over the last 10 years, Quantum-Si has pioneered a suite of technologies powered by its first-of-its-kind semiconductor chip that has enabled “next-generation single-molecule protein sequencing to advance drug discovery and diagnostics beyond what has been possible with DNA sequencing.”
Propelled by its technology the company has enjoyed great success – they conducted a public stock offering in 2020 and have substantially grown their team of employees.
With this level of growth, Quantum-Si needed a new facility. After a thorough search, they located the right location in Branford, Connecticut, and they performed substantial upgrades on the existing building to create a new purpose-built headquarters and R&D facility. As Quantum-Si prepared for their move, they collaborated with Sequoia Consulting Group (Sequoia), a firm that specializes in managing complex, highly technical projects for life sciences companies.
Relocating Quantum-Si to its new headquarters included carefully packing and relocating sensitive lab equipment as well as critical samples that needed to be maintained at -20 degrees Celsius while the freezers were in transit. There were also several heavy, oversized items including 1,000 lb. vibration-free optical tables and large industrial ovens. This all needed to happen in a very timely way, minimizing the disruption to Quantum-Si’s team and its critical work.
After a thorough search for a capable, proven partner, Meyer was selected by the Quantum-Si and Sequoia’s teams to handle this multifaceted transition. One of the key factors in Meyer’s selection was the diverse nature of its in-house service capabilities.
As Jasmina Xie, Sequoia’s Technical Project Manager shared, “Meyer was selected because of their professionalism, reasonable pricing, breadth of services offered, which included an in-house rigging team, and their experience in orchestrating complex and critical lab moves of this nature.”
In collaboration with the professionals from Sequoia’s technical project management team, Meyer developed a detailed three-week transition plan for the move.
Throughout the first week while Quantum-Si’s team packed some of their materials and prepared for the move, Sequoia developed location codes on the new floor plans and then Meyer created and placed coded placards at the new facility to maximize the speed and efficiency of the move.
During the second week, Meyer finished packing the larger, more sensitive items, and completed the relocation by ensuring that the temperature-specific freezers and materials were the last items out and the first items into the new space which was a short distance away. On Saturday morning, Meyer’s Rigging team moved the heaviest pieces including the 1,000 lb. optical tables and two industrial ovens. In addition, the Meyer team carefully moved:
- A flow cytometer cell analyzer and a flow cytometer cell sorter – each weighing more than 200 lbs. and containing sensitive instrumentation
- Four bench-scale liquid chromatography systems – each weighing more than over 100 lbs. and containing sensitive instrumentation
- Two high throughput protein analysis systems that are highly sensitive to vibrations
During week 3, Quantum-Si’s technical vendors came in to help with installations of their own equipment and the Meyer team distributed the materials to their final destinations.
The Outcomes
With thorough planning and coordinated teamwork, the Meyer and Sequoia teams completed the move carefully and quickly, allowing the Quantum-Si team to return to being fully operational right on schedule.
The safety and care that Meyer applied during the move was showcased by the fact that there was no need for recalibration of any of the relocated equipment once it was installed in the new headquarters. Sequoia has built a stellar reputation within the industry and this was an important outcome of partnering with Meyer to further highlight the quality of their project management talent.
As Jasmina Xie, Sequoia’s Technical Project Manager summarized the project, “Working with Meyer was a pleasure in every aspect – from their friendly and collaborative project managers to the moving team that went above and beyond to help ensure the lab was brought back to an operational state as quickly as possible. The feedback received from the Quantum-Si team was overwhelmingly positive and Meyer will be supporting future phases of the company’s growth.”
As Jasmina Xie, Sequoia’s Technical Project Manager summarized the project, “Working with Meyer was a pleasure in every aspect – from their friendly and collaborative project managers to the moving team that went above and beyond to help ensure the lab was brought back to an operational state as quickly as possible. The feedback received from the Quantum-Si team was overwhelmingly positive and Meyer will be supporting future phases of the company’s growth.”
