Laboratory Asset Relocation for Pharmaceutical & GMP Facilities

Decommissioning is the formal process of documenting an instrument’s as-found calibration status, following GxP-compliant shutdown procedures, and initiating the chain of custody records before the instrument is disconnected, crated, or moved. It is required by GxP, FDA, CAP, and CLIA frameworks because a move is a change event — the regulatory record must show that the instrument was in a known state immediately before the move and that handling was controlled throughout. Without a formal decommissioning, you cannot demonstrate that any out-of-tolerance condition found at the new site occurred during transit rather than before the move.

Most regulated environments require a full IQ/OQ/PQ sequence after relocation. Installation Qualification (IQ) verifies the instrument is installed correctly in the new environment. Operational Qualification (OQ) confirms it operates within its specified range under the new site conditions. Performance Qualification (PQ) verifies fitness for its intended use. In addition to these qualification activities, NIST-traceable recalibration with updated site-specific certificates is required so that calibration records reflect the current location. The specific qualification protocols and acceptance criteria are determined by the instrument type, the regulatory framework, and your site’s quality procedures.

Yes. Calibration certificates reference the location where the calibration was performed. After an instrument moves to a new site, a new calibration certificate must be issued reflecting the new location, site address, and responsible contact. More importantly, the physical conditions at the new site — temperature, humidity, altitude, vibration, and utility quality — all affect calibration performance. Femto Scientific performs a full NIST-traceable calibration at the new location as part of the recommissioning process, ensuring the certificate is accurate for the actual operating environment of the instrument at its new address.

Chain of custody is a continuous, documented record of who handled each instrument, when, and in what condition, from the moment of decommissioning through delivery and recommissioning at the new site. Femto Scientific initiates the chain of custody during decommissioning — recording each instrument’s asset ID, serial number, and as-found condition — and maintains a formal handoff record at every transfer of responsibility, including the point at which instruments are released to your approved movers. On arrival, deliveries are verified against the inventory and condition records before any unpacking begins, so any discrepancy or transit damage is identified and documented immediately. This unbroken record is what allows a GxP, FDA, CAP, or CLIA auditor to trace an instrument’s handling across the entire move and confirm that no undocumented event could have affected its qualification status.

Sensitive laboratory instruments — analytical balances, HPLC and chromatography systems, microscopes, and temperature-critical equipment — each require crating and packaging specifications matched to their fragility, mass, and sensitivity to shock, vibration, and temperature. During decommissioning, Femto Scientific prepares instrument-specific packaging specifications and identifies condition-monitoring requirements, such as shock and vibration indicators or temperature data loggers placed with vibration-sensitive, temperature-sensitive, and cold-chain items. We follow manufacturer transport guidance for components that must be locked, removed, or immobilized before movement. Femto Scientific does not provide freight or physical moving services; instead, we specify the handling, orientation, environmental, and condition-monitoring requirements that your approved movers must follow, and we verify the delivered condition against those requirements before recommissioning begins.