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or CENTRE?
CO-INCIDENTALLY—yet none the less significantly —the autumn conference of the National Association of Furniture Warehousemen and Removers falls on Election Day next Thursday. But however wide and fundamental the differences between party manifestos or between promise and subsequent performance, transport must go on. Whatever plans a future Government may devise, operators must continue to provide, now and in the future, a continuous and nation-wide service. As in the past, the
challenge of change will be met, because change there wi inevitably be, stemming from industrial and commerch developments as distinct from whatever political caust there might be.
Removers, in this context, hold a peculiarly contrastin position. Few sections of road transport have such a hig proportion of long-established operators, several with mot than a century of experience. Yet few are more Immo diateiy affected by change.
MR. D. W. BISHOP
So with these thoughts in mind I recently discussed with two prominent removers present and future trends in their industry. Both their organizations have more than a century of tradition behind them. But, by judicious choice at election time, one is a private family business and the other publicly owned. • Fifst I went to the offices of Bishop and Sons' Depositories Ltd., London, which has served as their headquarters for nearly 40 years. Because Bishop and Sons comprise a substantial group of companies and remain a family business in an era of big combines the views of Mr. D. W. Bishop, a director, are apposite.
The parent company was founded in 1854 by Joseph James Bishop and its span of life has included horse, steam and now internal-combustion traction. By the 50th anniversary it already owned more than 20 acres of warehousing space whilst furniture was being carried throughout the British Isles. Removals were already extending abroad and Bishops designed and perfected a special type of boxvan for use on both rail and ship.
The first move in acquiring other companies took place lb 1920 with the purchase of Rugg and Sons of Clapham. Nine years later Wright Brothers (Removals) Ltd. was taken over. A significant step was taken in 1936 by the acquisition of John H. Lunn of Edinburgh, thus providing the way for developing connections in the north of England and Scotland.
The Bishop network continues to be widened and there are now 14 companies in the group. In addition to the London headquarters and the Home Counties, the 14 branches cover an area bounded by Brighton, Exeter, Worcester, Birkenhead, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
With this wide network of branches available Bishop's are able to tackle many large office removals required by companies whose names are household words. Such removals pose peculiar problems not only in the quantity of records, ledgers and files and heavy office equipment, but also the overriding need to avoid disruption of the
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daily office routine. With the trend towards de-centralizE tion of London and other large urban areas such a servic would become increasingly necessary.
In reply to my question as to the original need for sue grouping Mr. Donald Bishop emphasized that remove] had for many years co-operated with competitors becau5 of the peculiarities of their business. Thus, if they receive an inquiry from a potential customer for submission of a estimate in an area where they were not represented, the may well ask a more conveniently placed competitor t make the estimate for them—and the reverse procedui could apply. The successive acquisition of companies ha facilitated the arranging of return loads, and this facto along with other considerations, was borne in mind whe the possibility of another purchase was under review.
But expansion of existing companies continues. Althoug still a family business, Bishop's have recently put u purpose-built depositories at Leatherhead and Birkenhew whilst a new one is being built at Horsham and plans al being formulated for similar extensions at Chichester.
With few exceptions they have retained the name of tI companies they have acquired because invariably sue companies are of high standing in their particular are with a trading value attached to their respective name Although daily returns are made by the constituent con panics to the group's headquarters in London, they retai their autonomy and continue to operate as separai financial entities.
Whilst complete standardization is not practised withi the group, a general-purpose vehicle has been evolved wit a capacity of around 1,200 Cu. ft. But in some of the Delia lanes, for example, the capacity is limited to 400 cu. fl whilst on the long-distance runs to Scotland a van ( 1,600 cu. ft. proves more economic.
Relative to vehicle sizes, Mr. Bishop emphasizes th. the removal industry is a personal service to a household and for that reason each job has its particular difficultie Whilst long experience proves invaluable in estimating bol the cost and time, ample margin has to be available ft unexpected eventualities, such as the need to remove doo and windows to obtain access to rooms. It is unlike] therefore, that the new Construction and Use Regulatiot permitting larger vehicles would be of any appreciab advantage to the removal industry, because time ar extraneous factors are invariably the limiting aspect. :.:ompafing the contents of a moderh home with its -tier counterpart, Mr. Bishop maintains that it is now dom necessary to dismantle large pieces of furniture in Edwardian days. Modern householders, however, juired moving more frequently—around every three to ir years—whilst access to modern multi-storey flats ses new problems.
'faantinental and overseas removal are also increasing,
• r. Bishop confirms, but his company .still favours the ditional method of lift vans for such services, despite : recent publicity given to roll-on-roll-off ferry services. is attitude is undoubtedly influenced by the policy of .hops to specialize on household removals, unlike many atemporaries who also handle merchandise. When coned to household removals only it is extremely difficult, not impossible, to arrange for a return removals load thin a reasonable time after an outward delivery to the otinent. By participating in the scheme of the Federation
International Furniture Removers to facilitate -operation between removers throughout the world, they provided with a list locating the position of empty yans in all five Continents with a view to facilitating )nomic back loading. The storage of such vans has -to undertaken free of charge for six months by the -operating member, although in practice such lengthy iods do not normally materialize. Moreover, by the matriculation system approved by British Railways, marine rates with minimum customer restriction are alicable to such lift vans.
Ftegarding suggestions that the removal industry is slow accept mechanization, Mr. Bishop points out that the aditions applying at both the forwarding and receiving Is often inhibits such modernization of methods. Particuly can this apply in many overseas removals where a final ivery literally has to be man-handled in small lots.
because a removal is a very .personal transaction for the useholder concerned it is Bishop's policy to effect a noval with the same vehicle (or vehicles) throughout. As .esult the foreman and staff responsible for loading also toad, so removing opportunity for misunderstanding. A int sometimes overlooked by critics of current removal ictice isthat access to houses or premises is such an .uriding factor that doubling the number of men ployed would not necessarilyspeed up the job. Accord;Ey it would seem inevitable that traditional methods uld largely continue, and with it the need for overie working, whilst the current standard of access remains even deteriorates.
Zegarding the current topic of industrial training, Mr. hop considers that, given an experienced and understand: foreman, the best training for a new apprentice is loubtedIy working on actual removals. So much in the de is of a practical nature that there is comparatively le that can be taught at an academic level. Proof of
• success of a policy based on this contention, Mr. Bishop in-is, is substantiated by 50 of their staff having had 25 years' service or more. The removal industry is functionally based on change, but Bishop's long experience indicates that future trends will best be met as in the past—by a judicious blending of both new and old in removing methods and practice.
Then 1 went along to the industry's largest organization—Pickfords Ltc1.—a name synonymous with the removal industry for more than a century.
In discussion with Mr. G. J. Skelton, chief removal and travel manager, he emphasized that despite their involvement in the political scene from 1947 onwards, Pickfords Ltd. have retained their identity and operating autonomy to conduct their business as a publicly owned company expected to provide an essential service efficiently and profitably.
In the highly competitive field of household removals, Mr. Skelton submits that an increasing demand for the facilities his company has to offer is proof of the efficiency of the service, whilst the all-time record revenue and profit achieved in 1963 is likely to be exceeded during the current year.
Their vehicle fleet which never remains completely static —is in the stage of expansion from more than 500 towards the figure of 600, and is concentrated almost exclusively on the business of household removals. Their nation-wide network comprises 182 branches, nearly all of which have warehouse accommodation. Some indeed have morethan one warehouse in an area, and as a result Pickfords have more than 300 properties available for furniture storage. These facilities, Mr. Skelton insists, are an essential feature of the removal trade in contrast with general haulage where, even if provided, are usually considered as an ancillary service.
Mr. Skelton has the assistance of a deputy at the London headquarters and four area managers for the South East, South West, Northern and Scotland areas respectively, each located within the areas which they control. In addition there are the specialist functions of the overseas removal service, the office removal service and the travel service.
It is the policy to delegate as much authority as possible to branch managers, and apart from a vehicle control system operated through the area management organization, Pickfords' branches differ from small companies mainly in the added advantage of specialist advice and facilities being available at headquarters when needed.
A distinction as between removals and general haulage is in the method of obtaining business. Whilst there are exceptions it would be common practice for a general haulage operator to canvass and obtain an order to move a particular traffic—possibly the output of a local firm-which would then continue for an extended period to the mutual convenience and benefit of both parties. In the household removal business this would rarely, if ever, apply. Every movement, whether it consists of a single article of furniture or a complete home, is the subject of a negotiated contract. As a large proportion of Pickfords' business arises from the conveyance of small lots of furniture—as opposed to complete homes--it is hardly surprising the company estimates that it needs to find up to 600 new customers every day. It follows that very careful attention
has to be paid to marketing, advertising and selling.
Mr. Skelton admits that although administrative ability and other qualities are required, managers—particularly those in charge of larger branches—need to have had a successful selling record.
The absence of " regular " traffic makes long-term planning difficult, especially in a business sensitive to changes in political and economic conditions, whilst advertising and publicity pose further problems. To plan an advertising budget carefully and avoid wasting money requires that a careful balance be maintained between " direct " and " reminder " advertising, and the one is as important as the other. As customer recommendations also are a valuable source of new business, it follows that the service given must be satisfactory. Clearly this is more important to a nation-wide organization than to a local firm with whom, once a customer has been moved, contact is lost.
Changing Homes A remover's work is obviously conditioned by the types Of household with which he has to deal. There has been a continuing trend towards smaller and more compact houses and flats, with the inevitable corresponding trend in more compact furniture and an increase in fitted units. Whilst this trend reduces the overall quantity, the higher standard of living which the nation generally enjoys results in average houses being much more comprehensively and expensively furnished than formerly. Similarly a decline in unwieldy Victorian furniture is offset by the more restricted rooms and passages of modern properties, not forgetting the difficulties of multi-storey buildings.
• There is a change in outlook of the younger generation towards moving house. Formerly, and particularly in the Midlands and the North, there was a marked reluctance to accept the severance that removal to another area can involve. This reluctance has now been largely broken down for a number of reasons, including the attractions of new industries and the growth of large combines with the resulting need for inter-company movement of personnel.
The higher standard of living now enjoyed applies to most, if not all, ages. More people are now able to afford to retire to select residential areas, which again adds to the overall removal business. There seems no reason to suppose that this trend for increasing demands on the removal industry will not continue.
The same trend of change applies to Continental and overseas removals. Both the volume and frequency of these long-distance household removals are increasing and Mr. Skelton considers there is a need for more removal staff to acquire the special expertise necessary.
Mr. Skelton is an enthusiast in the matter of trade education and training. So far as removals and warehousing are concerned, it is claimed that Britain leads the world. But it has been necessary to overcome—and there is evidence of it still existing in certain quarters—a reluctance to make available to competitors long, hard-earned experience.
That, of course, is the narrow view. Only by an industrywide training and education scheme successfully conducted can a good public image be maintained and substantiated by a uniformly high level of service to the public.
For some years Pickfords ran a training scheme within their own organization but Mr. Skelton told me they decided to abandon this and give full co-operation and support to the Institute of the Furniture Warehousing and Removing Industry. This decision was prompted by their recognition that in this day and age all staff must be trained on an industry basis. Mr. Skelton believes that uneconomic rate cutting stems partly from insufficient comprehension LIt or complete ignorance of correct costing procedure giving an inferior service, or a combination of hot, Members of the public and of the trade all stand to bend by improvement in the standard of performance.
The present Institute syllabus accommodates two grad+ —estimators and associates. In this latter case ti successful candidate is considered to have achieved tt potentiality of a branch manager. But because much 1 the removing trade is of a practical and manual natur Mr. Skelton insists that academic education separated fro] practical experience is useless. Accordingly the Ea Midland branch of the Institute, having very successful operated a three-day school for manual operatives, propos+ early in 1965 to extend this to a full week and t'o encoural support from all parts of the country. It is also intendc to make this the pattern for the national school.
Labour is a problem common to all industries ar Mr. Skelton agrees that the removing industry is no excel tion. Whilst there is a national trend towards a short, working week, he considers that the removing industi will be one of the last to be affected in this respect. Ti sheer practical aspect of the job prohibits an "8-to-5 mentality. Obviously, with possibly half a customet household effects still remaining in a van at, say, 5 p.nr there is a strong and natural inducement to finish the welt because of the human interest.
But there are compensations with removing work, M Skelton insists. Given the right calibre of staff, there an individual satisfaction in being engaged on a job fro start to finish. Although seemingly a. small point, this is marked contrast with jobs in many other industries, whe only a relatively small proportion of the complete work performed by any one individual.
Dangerous Tendency The possible outcome of the inquiry being conducted c carriers' licensing by the Geddes Committee must obvious be no more than speculation at this stage. But Mr. Skate doubts whether, when setting up this committee, ti Minister of Transport envisaged only minor amendmen to the present system. It is significant that particul■ attention is being given to evidence submitted from thcv outside the road haulage industry. Although in the fir instance it might be considered that A-licence operators general haulage are most likely to be affected by ar changes that might be recommended, Mr. Skelton mail taint there is a dangerous tendency to overlook other ar associated possibilities.
Those sections of transport dealing with specializ( traffic, including the removal industry, have largely bui up their scale of operation within the framework of ti present licensing system. If this were removed, or substai tially curtailed in its present form, there could then ari: a free-for-all in which not only would there be uneconom rate cutting, but the householder himself would suff, because of the reduced standard of service which woul inevitably attend such a change in conditions. Moreove irrespective of the party forming the next Government, could be that any substantial changes in licensing calk for by Geddes and approved by the Minister might I effected in stages over, say, a five-year period of office o alternatively, two successive Governments.
This is only one of several major problems with whic removers may be faced in the months to come, but M Skelton is convinced that by a genuine desire to co-opera and working together to raise the status of the trade, tho: who earn their living in this important service will better able to meet the challenges of the future.