HANOVER, MA–During the current shutdown, it is projected that more than 62 percent of Americans are working at home. Many workplaces, particularly office space, will be at 25 percent capacity during the initial return to work. I
n preparation for the inevitable adjustment in how many people will be working in an office, Brookline Transportation, Inc. (BTI), a Mayflower Van Lines agent specializing in commercial, lab, medical, science and residential moves, recently expanded its retrofit services.
BTI’s retrofit services focus on revamping or removing items from office space and other facilities going through a downsize or upgrade. Those services can range from decommissioning old workstations to installing, wait for it, cubicles,” said George Rohlfing, owner of the family-owned and operated Brookline Transportation, Inc (BTI). “As a company that’s been around for the past few decades, we took the cubicles out when everybody went to an open floor plan. We can help in putting some version of those cubicles back if that’s what companies want.”
The return to work could also find companies in need of other tweaks to the workplace. That could include decommissioning some office furniture—desks, chairs, workstations, lamps, computers, printers, etc.
For clients looking to remove old furniture, BTI’s decommissioning services include contacting a network of non-profits to find a suitable donor/recipient. In some cases, this type of donation is tax deductible.
Furniture that can’t be donated requires specific steps for disposal. Depending on the item, that could involve separating the metal and pre-fabricated materials so recyclable pieces of the furniture can be properly recycled. For office furniture and most other types of office equipment that can’t be recycled, it must be taken to a licensed disposal facility.
“We recently performed a decommission of workstations for a customer in the environmental cleanup field. Taking apart the stations for recycling saved them money for disposal and helped them meet sustainability requirements for the company,” said Rohlfing.
BTI’s decommissioning services also include the coordination and pickup of computers and other pieces of hardware, software and electronics. This includes coordination and issuance of certificates of destruction for each piece.
“When you take a computer or other piece of electronics out of commission, the customer wants to be assured that the hard drives are being shredded and are not being re-used,” said Rohlfing. “It’s a little bit involved, but we work with licensed and insured companies for the destruction of those items.”
