Case Study

For decades, Armstrong has been seamlessly moving companies to new locations across the city and the country. But Armstrong recently had the opportunity to experience a move from the perspective of a client. Driven by a growing client base and a changing supply chain, Armstrong – Houston began the process of transitioning into a larger facility that better meets customer needs. As Armstrong faced the unique opportunity to be its own client, the team was appreciative of the fresh perspective — one which makes continuous innovation possible — and reinforced commitment to easing the loads of partners. Here are four takeaways from navigating this relocation process internally. 1. While planning your move far in advance is ideal, sometimes your business has other plans. Though it is recommended that you prepare for your commercial relocations as soon as possible, growing businesses often have urgent needs and tight timelines. Armstrong – Houston...

For more than 30 years, a prestigious public research university has turned to Armstrong for relocation solutions. As the institution has changed over time, its labs, departments and data centers have required a nimble partner that can efficiently handle its internal relocations. The university depends on Armstrong to minimize downtime when managing the moves so its students, researchers and professors can return to work as quickly as possible. Project Challenges The client is always adapting to better meet the needs of its students, faculty, staff and stakeholders. As a university committed to continuous improvement, the client is frequently relocating people, renovating spaces and moving resources. The university needs a moving provider with wide-ranging expertise and a national asset network to manage large-scale relocations. Because of the fast-paced nature of higher education, these relocations must happen under tight timelines, often without substantial planning periods. The client needs a partner who could...

Overview Over 2,000 student dorm rooms Packing, labeling and contents move for shipping to students’ homes across the U.S. Over 25,000 boxes packed Six-week completion plan E&I Cooperative member The Problem COVID-19 displaced thousands of college students during the first and second quarters of 2020. As a result, one of The Armstrong Company university client needed a reliable moving and storage company to provide dormitory services for students who could not return to campus after Spring Break to clear out over 2,000 dorm rooms. All personal items needed to be returned safely to students’ homes across the U.S. For items too fragile to ship, such as TVs, computers, laptops, mini refrigerators, and microwaves, the university requested they be placed in an overflow area for the university to ship at a later date. Few boxes previously packed by a moving partner required re-packing and all packing debris needed to be removed...

When new-member enrollment grew 210% in a single month, Armstrong scaled fast enough to keep every apartment furnished on time. As a full-service 3PL, Armstrong receives, stores, delivers and installs furnishings for Landing's fully furnished apartment network nationwide, from overseas shipping containers directly to a member's move-in day. The Project Snapshot Client: Landing Armstrong Location: Houston Timeline: Ongoing partnership; scaled rapidly during a demand surge Services: Warehousing, Asset Management, Distribution, Quick-Turn Delivery, Full Installation Scale: Scaled from a small distribution center to accepting as many as 200 containers in a short period; member turnaround as fast as 2 weeks from booking to move-in The Challenge Landing members book a fully furnished apartment in minutes and expect to move in as little as two weeks later. On a firm date, not a suggestion. Miss it and a member arrives to an empty apartment instead of a furnished home. Then demand surged....

Overview Marshall and his family have been corporately relocated more than 12 times. Most recently, his wife received a new job opportunity that necessitated a family move from Texas to Michigan, and to support the relocation process, they received a lump sum package from her new employer. When it comes to relocation packages, the majority of businesses today opt for lump sums. Research by Worldwide ERC® found that 71% of organizations use a lump sum program to help cover the costs of their employees’ moves. However, while lump sum packages may be the most popular, Marshall and his family’s experience shows that lump sum packages are not necessarily the most effective. The challenges of lump sum relocation packages By offering lump sum packages versus a comprehensive relocation package, you may be putting your employees and your business at risk, cutting costs at the expense of employee satisfaction, loyalty and productivity....

Overview University of Georgia (UGA) Employee household goods moving and storage services On-campus relocation services Student housing Laboratory equipment and specimen Student housing The Client The University of Georgia (UGA), based in Athens, Georgia, is boasted as one of the oldest public universities in the United States and one of the nation’s top producers of Rhode Scholars. With a current student population of more than 37,000, some of the country’s most notable historical figures, artists, academics, and business owners are alumni of UGA. With so many students and faculty moving to and from the campus each year, UGA recognized a need for a trusted, professional team that could meet campus relocation needs on a yearly basis. The Problem As a national institute for higher learning and research, the university needed a relocation partner that could handle relocations for professors and research scientists, offer storage services, and manage on-campus seasonal moves...

In two days, Armstrong disassembled and prepared for shipment of century-old rigging, guns and machinery from the USS Texas (BB-35), the last surviving dreadnought battleship in the world. From twin battleship guns bolted to the deck to a compass mounted at the ship's highest point, every component was carefully freed, crated and shipped across the country for restoration and eventual museum display. The Project Snapshot Client: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Armstrong Location: Houston Timeline: 2-day disassembly window Services: Disassembly, Crating, Storage, Long-Distance Delivery Scale: Historic components from the 32,000-ton Battleship Texas, including battleship guns and the ship's compass The Challenge Zero margin for error. A mistake here meant losing history, not just equipment. Disassembly, crating and shipping all had to happen within a tight two-day window, leaving no room for delay. Unexpected downpours forced repeated pauses mid-disassembly, threatening that schedule. Our Solution & Specialized Services Armstrong built a plan...

Overview Final Mile Delivery FF&E and OS&E Installation Warehousing Our Role The Armstrong Company – Huntsville partnered with an upscale, international hotel chain to provide local relocation services during the property’s renovations. Armstrong’s team provided warehousing, delivery and FF&E and OS&E installation services for the location over the course of four months, as renovations began and were completed. Project Challenges The hotel was undergoing extensive renovations over the course of a year that required a relocation partner who could receive and store inventory, as well as work within a flexible timeline, as construction plans were unpredictable. It was critical for the client to be able to continue operations on fully renovated floors of the hotel, as they were made ready, and for Armstrong to meet the client’s fulfillment needs as quickly and efficiently as possible. At the beginning of the project, the hotel arranged for all new furniture and other...

In two and a half days, half the normal transit time, Armstrong moved 87 sub-zero freezers and years of irreplaceable research data cross-country without a single loss. Armstrong relocated an entire research laboratory, freezers, servers and decades of scientific findings from Palo Alto, California, to the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Alabama. The Project Snapshot Client: Research and biotechnology organization Armstrong Location: Huntsville Timeline: 2 months, planning to completion; packing through placement completed in under 2 weeks Services: Packing, Crating, Loading, Transport, Delivery, Lab Setup Scale: 87 -80°C freezers, full computer server relocation, cross-country transit from Palo Alto, CA to Huntsville, AL The Challenge The materials in this relocation could not be replaced if lost. The 87 -80°C freezers held research specimens that could not survive a temperature lapse and the lab's computer servers held decades of scientific findings with no backup. That meant the entire cross-country move had...

The Armstrong Company - Houston is no stranger to jumping in on jobs of all scales that require a variety of skills. We’ve helped clients move extremely fragile, valuable items across state lines and oceans. When it comes to relocating items of historical and cultural significance, we know how to treat these jobs with the utmost care, professionalism and attention to detail. So, when the Lone Star Flight Museum asked for Armstrong’s help relocating irreplaceable items tied to the history of aerospace, we were ready and eager to help. The Lone Star Flight Museum is located in Houston, Texas. It’s an aerospace museum that houses artifacts and collections related to the history of flight and more than 20 historically significant aircraft. This museum is home to some of the most scientifically important items that America has contributed to flight. Our Role and Challenges In early 2017, the Lone Star Flight...