Category
Specialist Services
Case Study
Gallery : Storage
Our storage facilities in London and Scotland are amongst the best privately owned in the world.
We offer up-to-date technology with heated storage, climate and humidity controlled storage and our state-of-the-art bar-coding system, which enables us to access your storage items quickly.
Our facility also includes private, individual storage rooms and a viewing area, if required.
The condition of an artwork can be checked on arrival or departure to or from our storage facility to ensure no apparent change has taken place during transit or while on exhibition and a full report can be provided with photographic documentation.
Maximum security and fire zoning applies to the entire warehouse.
IMA – Inventory Management Assistant
IMA is our in-house developed Warehouse Database. It stores all information relating to a work, such as: title, artist and dimensions. Based on the dimensions, the system calculates the exact cubic meters of storage required by a client. This enables transparent billing, as the client is given a rate per cubic meter. This system also generates barcodes for each individual work, or if a work consists of several parts, barcodes for each part. These barcodes are scanned and the exact location within the warehouse is recorded. Each rack, room or area has a specific code, which then has subsections. This makes the physical retrieval of works within a warehouse environment quick and efficient. Client’s works are recorded in individual accounts, which give an overview of everything that has ever been in storage for that client. Alternatively, clients can have different accounts if, for example, they are storing in climate and heated areas, or if their collection would benefit from of separation of the items by accounts. The system further retains the record even after a work has left the Constantine warehouse, together with the date of release and who the work was released or delivered to. It does not however keep an onward track of the work after that. If the work returns to storage a new bar code is generated. The co-ordinator has the possibility to record the history of the movement for the client in the notes section of the programme. The inventory view enables to access to the greater detail of the work. For example, the database can save digital images, which can be accessed on-line by the client which makes reconciliation for the client easier, as well as retrieval for Constantine Ltd should the title have changed for example.
As Constantine Ltd is a customs-bonded warehouse, this is also represented in the system. The relevant shipping information relating to the import and later the discharge of the bond is stored in the database so that all customs regulations are fully complied with.
This system is now also accessible from the Internet through a secure remote server. The password can be chosen by the client or supplied by Constantine. Once logged in the client can view the works that are in storage.
