ETS to be suspended effective April 1, 2008
CCI will be discontinuing Exhibit Transportation Services (ETS) as of April 1, 2008, for operational and administrative reasons. CCI will provide training and advice to assist ETS clients as they make the transition to using private-sector carriers for fine art transportation.

Exhibit Transportation Services (ETS), a specialized unit of CCI, has been offering specialized dedicated fine art and exhibit transportation services to Canadian museums for more than 20 years. ETS provides secure, reliable, and environmentally controlled transportation for fine art and artifacts across Canada. Located in Gatineau, Quebec, ETS is housed in a 1400-m² climate-controlled building with an inside loading dock capable of accommodating five tractor-trailer units. The building is constantly monitored for climate, security, and fire. The facility also includes a 210-m² storage vault with a separate security system, offering short- or long-term storage at 18°C and 40% (winter) to 55% (summer) relative humidity.

The ETS Fleet

• four tractors
• seven semitrailers
• one truck with a 7.3-m box
• one 4.3-m cube van.

All vehicles have air ride suspension, are insulated, and temperature controlled. The trailers and boxes have been designed to meet the highest security standards; they include heat/cool units, air lock doors, and reinforced roofs and walls. For added security, each cab is equipped with a sleeper compartment, CB radio, and cellular telephone, and all drivers are trained in the care and handling of fine art and artifacts.

Reducing Risk

The risk of transporting goods is determined by a number of factors, including:

• the packaging of the goods
• the measure of immobilization of the packaged goods inside the vehicle
• the skill levels of personnel who handle goods during loading and unloading
• the quality of the equipment
• the frequency of transfer points (the number of times goods are transferred from one vehicle or carrier to another).

ETS reduces risk by using experienced art handlers, high quality equipment, and ensuring a minimum number of transfer points.

Scheduling

Schedules and routes are developed in response to client requirements and requests. Although most transportation takes place with consolidated runs (cargo space is shared with other museum exhibitions), exclusive runs are available upon request. All federally owned museums, departments, and agencies can request service. Also eligible are any publicly chartered non-profit organizations moving fine art or heritage artifacts, if they are not able to achieve the required level of care, security, environmental control, or transportation schedule from private sector carriers.

Pricing and Insurance

ETS is a cost recovery service. Quotes are supplied for planning purposes only, provided the requesting institution has predetermined that transportation requirements cannot be fulfilled by private sector carriers. Clients must ensure that all exhibitions and objects are adequately (or correctly) packaged and insured for their full value for the time that they are in the custody of ETS. For further information regarding the use of ETS, please contact:

Exhibit Transportation Services

25 De Villebois
Gatineau QC K1A 0M5 Canada
tel.: (819) 243-4990; fax: (819) 243-8267
e-mail: ets-ste@pch.gc.ca

The inside loading dock.

ETS trucks parked outside the facility in Gatineau.

Artifacts headed for long-term storage in secure vault.

ETS will transport a wide variety of artifacts, from fine art to airplanes.