The company employs more than 58,000
people who serve more than 12 million personal, business and public
sector customers in North America and in some 30 countries around
the world.
In order to increase efficiencies, two large divisions of RBC Financial Group, RBC Insurance and RBC Royal Bank, determined it was best to consolidate some of their facilities, in areas such as Mississauga, Brampton, Markham and Hamilton, into one central location. The scope of relocating this number of people required two nine-story towers with a connecting common area linking the two. This endeavor brought together in the Meadowvale complex over 4000 personnel with office space for anticipated growth to over 6000.
The relocation of two distinct businesses with diverse needs and requirements and many smaller departments within each was a major undertaking and required extensive planning. Several issues had to be considered, including what department in each division would relocate first, how personnel could be moved without losing any productivity, and what level of inventory analysis would be required to ensure the blend of new and current assets to maintain current standards.
Base building construction began concurrently with tenant planning in April 1999. The first tenant occupancy occurred 17 months later - which began an unprecedented move coordination schedule that ran continuously for the next 38 weeks with moves almost every weekend, servicing 15 user groups over 47 separate locations.
RBC Financial Group chose the team
of Marshall Cummings and Associates and Infrastructure Interior Design
to plan and design the interior architecture and they worked closely
with Brigholme and Haworth to help create the workspaces. Workstation
designs were determined by standards that had been in place for
the previous five years and developed through a joint Brigholme and
Haworth effort.
RBC Insurance
RBC Insurance provides a wide range of creditor, life, health,
travel, home, auto and reinsurance products through a variety of
distribution channels to more than five million North American
customers.
This division considered reusing their existing furniture, purchasing
all new assets or combining new with their existing furnishings.
It was Brigholme's responsibility to carry out a cost comparison
and provide a recommendation. Leasing was included in this recommendation
as it was thought to be the most cost effective approach for RBC
Insurance. Seven of the eight floors in Tower One were furnished
with all new leased assets. One floor was completed with relocating
existing assets from various locations.
"Working together with Brigholme was very productive and rewarding. Their team helped us throughout the Meadowvale relocations, ensuring the product was delivered, installed and ready well before each and every relocation," says
Mike R. Anderson, Sr. Project Manager, RBC Insurance.
RBC Royal Bank
Royal Direct, call centre specialists of RBC Royal Bank, deliver customer
service solutions - many of them 24/7 - with Meadowvale serving as the
principal centre for Canada.
This division determined prior to entering the relocation process that
the majority of their current assets would move with personnel. The logistics
involved required a move management firm to assist RBC Royal Bank, Rae
Brothers (the Project Management company hired by the Bank to implement
the entire project), Marshall Cummings, Infrastructure, Haworth and Brigholme
with move management details and scheduling to ensure the coordination
of the necessary teardown from existing facilities and relocation and
build to this new facility; group by group, weekend by weekend. The process
allowed for the specific group to work in their former facility up to
and including the Friday and then, the following Monday, find their spaces
operational in their new Meadowvale offices.
RBC Financial Group has a strong commitment to their employees and understands
that open, integrated environments encourage a department's evolution
toward high-energy teamwork. Ample training facilities provide great
spaces for internal learning. The Meadowvale Business Park Office Complex
(MBPOC) includes covered parking, fitness center, a diverse food services
area and a beautifully designed outdoor reflecting pond, using recycled
water.
"My respect for the entire MBPOC project team grew with each completed phase and conquered challenge," says Stewart Smith, VP Furniture Facility E Management, Brigholme Business Furnishings. "Coordination
and communication were the keys to its success. I have never seen such a diverse
group of interests pull together to make things happen for a client in such
an organized and professional manner on a project of this magnitude."
Many firms worked together exceptionally well to ensure this large undertaking's
success.
