If you moved 60 meters in a day, you’d hardly expect a celebration. But when a five-story brick building was moved that far on 22 May 2012, the Swiss threw a party to celebrate the engineering feat. Beer tents, balloons atop the building and VIP speeches added to the festive feeling at the site next to the Oerlikon train station in Zurich, Switzerland.

A complex system of hydraulics and rails made the move seamless, albeit slow. (See the end of this post for short videos taken at the construction site.) The high level of technological and engineering expertise required to accomplish this goal cannot be underestimated. Weighing 6200 tonnes, the historic factory building is 80 meters long and 123 years old. It was the largest building ever to be moved in Europe. At 4 meters an hour, it took 19 hours to complete the move.

Why would anyone want to move such a building? The main reason for the move was that the train station was expanding; but when the owners wanted to tear it down, the public petitioned and won their battle to keep “Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon” the 1876 machine factory intact and standing.

The business applications of this ambitious engineering feat were also impressive. Technical teams worked in synchronization as they collaborated to make the move of the industrial building a success.

Do you ever have the feeling that making your business move even a few more meters toward tomorrow is a monumental feat? Consider these observations inspired from  Oerlikon to propel forward momentum in your organization:

• Are you applying the right pressure to make it possible to move your business in the right direction?
• Are you making all the right moves inside your organization to facilitate that forward movement?
• Are you making them in the most effort-efficient way?
• Are you recognizing and reminding people of the historical importance of your company’s legacy before you make any move?
• Are your company’s foundations strong enough to endure such a move?

Ask, assess, then act. We’re here to help.