First B.A.O.F.R. Au turnn Conference
Page 11
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I T was a valid criticism of overseas removers in Britain that they were selling themselves cheap to the public, with charges considerably lower than in several Continental countries — even Spain, where labour costs were low—said Mr. Michael Gerson, managing director of Michael Gerson Ltd., in London on Wednesday. He was speaking at the British Association of Overseas Furniture Removers' first autumn conference.
Mr. Gerson contended that, in carrying out an overseas removal, most members did not realite the full extent of the services they provided—which he commented on under five headings: expert removal, advisory, translation, personal and communication services.
An expert removal service required trained export packers and personnel with skill and long experience—which had to be properly rewarded, said Mr. Gerson. Warehouse facilities were essential to permit customs examination of multiple lots and the storage of import removals, while liftvans, and staff to maintain them, also had to be provided.
Although an intangible asset, the remover's ability to provide an immediate service was of very real value to a customer. Removers in this field could not refuse to take on overseas work at very short notice, whilst import work had to he done as soon as vans were sealed or when Customs officers could be available. To be able always to fulfil a customer's demands the overseas remover thus had to have a completely elastic organization and more staff than would otherwise be ' required.
An overseas remover was expected to he capable of advising on removals to anywhere in the world. Such knowledge was costly to provide, and Mr. Gersdn paid tribute to the amount of technical information made available at relatively low cost by membership of the 13.A.O.F.R. or F.I.D.1. An overseas remover should also be able to afford to pay staff with experience of working conditions abroad and some should be knowledgeable in languages; because of urgency it was not possible to employ translation agencies. Maintenance of efficient communications involved the rental of a teleprinter, he said, which would become even more necessary in future.
Overseas removals demanded a particularly personal service, commented Mr. Gerson, so the office staff needed was greater than in home concerns.
The autumn conference of the National Association of Furniture Warehousemen and Removers took place yesterday, and will be reported in next week's issue.