Orphee Beinoglou International Forwarders SA in Athens has recently completed one of its most challenging tasks: to relocate around 800,000 items for the National Library of Greece.

The three-month project began in January 2018 with the library and OB personnel discussing all aspects of the relocation, including the training of staff and the detailed planning of each phase of the operation.

The items to be moved included some of Greece’s most valuable cultural artefacts, some dating back to dates BC, so it was vital that the move was executed with absolute care and precision to avoid any loss or damage. The declared insurance value of over 200 million euros gives some idea of the scale of the operation. It was also important to keep within the stringent time constraints specified by the library and to complete the project on time.

There were many challenges. For example, the old building had a grate floor which had to be covered with wooden panels. Another was the old building’s lack of elevators and the long distances that needed to be covered by the 50-strong moving crew. All the books had to be picked from the shelves in serial order and placed in their correct position. There was no margin for error.

Lefteris Regkos, OB’s Director of Moving and Relocation explained, “We made 900 special wooden trolleys, which were coated with inert polyethylene foam to absorb vibrations, for the general collection (770,000 items). Brittle items were also wrapped in anti-oxide paper. For the special collection (about 30,000 items), wooden shelved trolleys were used to place each book in a horizontal position, and only a few were carried at a time to ensure the least possible strain on the spines.”

Lefteris continued, “Traditionally, OB is a company that has invested in quality, security and the acquisition of all necessary certifications, so that we are always a step ahead of the needs of the market.”

During the last two years, Orphee Beinoglou International Forwarders SA has been recognised by Grant Thornton and Eurobank as being among the 21 most healthy and dynamic companies in Greece.

Photo: Orphee Beinoglou personnel in the National Library of Greece.


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