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OMNI-Connect launched 6/21/2004
New E-Commerce System Gives Global Relocation Network Quality with Choice

OMNI-Connect, the unique e-commerce product developed by Overseas Moving Network International Ltd. (OMNI) has been officially launched at the organisation’s annual conference in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico last month. The system provides all 270 OMNI member companies worldwide with the facility to transfer detailed relocation information directly between members’ back office systems without re-keying, significantly reducing the risk of mistakes due to human error.

OMNI is the world’s leading network of independent international moving companies with members in approaching 70 countries worldwide. Until now it has been impossible for the individual members to exploit fully the benefits of e-commerce as each member operates a different IT system. Now, using technology largely developed by the Wellfound Corporation and using TIBCO software, it is possible for all participating members’ back office systems to ‘talk’ to each other irrespective of the level or type of IT technology employed. The result is a truly integrated global network unlike any other existing in the relocation industry today.

The system has been in development for over three years including its pilot phase between selected OMNI member companies. Using OMNI-Connect, all participating members will be able to swap and update relocation information automatically providing real-time information at both origin and destination and, potentially, making this information available via an internet portal to all OMNI members’ customers.

Ian Waters, the General Manager of OMNI said that it was hard to over estimate the importance of the system to the members and the contribution it will make to the quality of service they are able to provide. “We now have a world leading communication system at least equal to any global company competition. Better still, the way it’s set up, OMNI-Connect can be used and afforded by all our members, large or small.”

OMNI’s Unique Sales Proposition has always been that it gives the quality and worldwide branding of the large global companies whilst providing its corporate customers a choice of company at most destinations. The adoption of OMNI-Connect reinforces this market position: it is a benefit no other global relocation network can offer.

OMNI is rolling out OMNI-Connect within its membership and expects all members to be on line within 2 years.

END

Further editorial information from:

Steve Jordan Tel: ++44 1525 402290 Fax: ++44 1525 840347 Email: steve.jordan@omnimoving.com



All business enquiries to:

Sally McPhail Tel: ++44 1737 222022 Fax: ++44 1737 241767 Email: sally.mcphail@omnimoving.com
OMNI gives E-Commerce the OK 12/1/2003
OMNI’s E-Commerce Provides Even Better Information to Customers and Smoothes the Transfer of Shipment Documentation

Overseas Moving Network International, OMNI, has made another giant leap forward, continuing to lead the international moving industry as the information age reaches maturity. At its annual conference in Prague this year, the global network of over 250 moving companies agreed to pursue and conclude its E-Commerce initiative that will connect all its members, worldwide, with an integrated business information system making the service from OMNI companies even more reliable.

The new e-commerce system has been named OMNI-Connect. It is a hub and spoke system that has the ability to link the back office systems of all its members seamlessly irrespective of the type of system they already use. According to Ian waters, the General Manager of OMNI based in Reigate, England, this is where the key to its success lies. “It’s easy for companies to be linked if they all operate the same systems. But our members all use different systems and that’s what makes OMNI-Connect special.”

For OMNI’s customers the benefits are significant. The system will eliminate errors caused by incorrect translations or transcribing, ensure that information is kept up to date automatically, and speed the transfer of information between members. In future it may also be possible for major clients to link with the system to have real-time information fed straight through to their HR control offices.

To operate the system OMNI companies will not have to change their operating procedures at all. They can input information in exactly the same way they always have done leaving OMNI-Connect to re-format it into the style preferred by the receiver.

“This will be the most advanced communication system in the international moving industry,” continued Ian Waters. “It will allow our members to maintain their market leading position and lay the platform for further advances in the future.”

The system has already been trialled extensively with selected OMNI members and is now available for rollout throughout the membership. It is anticipated that all OMNI members could be using OMNI-Connect by the end of 2005. Already a number of external organisations including shipping companies and airlines have shown an interest in linking their own systems to OMNI-Connect to make dealing with OMNI companies the obvious choice as the information age develops.

END

Further editorial information from:

Steve Jordan Steve Jordan Copywriting Tel: 01525 402290 Fax: 01525 840347 Email: steve-jordan@ntlworld.com

All business enquiries to: Gabi Mainzer-Dixon OMNI Head office Tel: ++01737 222022 Email: gabi.mainzer@omnimoving.com
Beyond the Internet 2/26/2002
E-commerce in the moving industry

For decades the moving industry, even the somewhat romantic international business, was viewed to be a little old-fashioned, a bit ordinary, not sexy. But as the moving industry has moved into the 21st Century it has really grown up when it comes to technology. OMNI (Overseas Moving Network International) is leading the way.

With the development of bar code technology in the 1990s the moving industry was quick to recognise the opportunities it offered. Today, it's no longer necessary for surveyors to write endless reams of notes about your move. Now they simply swipe a bar code label to build your inventory. This can then be translated into any language (at the click of a button) and passed throughout the moving chain from origin to destination avoiding misunderstandings and mistakes.

As soon as bar codes became commonplace, so the Internet came on line. Moving companies were quick to offer on-line bookings, portfolio management, tracking services, document scanning and storage; in fact just about everything that could be done on the internet was done on the internet.

But now that the Internet has become a part of everyday life, the industry is moving on again. For years it has been possible for companies to transfer information between departments. Some large companies have been able to keep all information on a central server to provide equal access to all offices. The largest of the moving giants, with multi-national offices, have even been able to network their systems together to provide seamless international transfer of information. But, so far, it has not been possible to transfer information, from one company to another in a format that would easily be assimilated into that company's management system. But, now, that's changing too.

OMNI, Overseas Moving Network International has 270 members around the world, all of which are independent market leaders in their own country. It is the only moving network that has its service 100% verified independently by consultants Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and is, therefore, unique. Information transfer between OMNI members until now, has been handled electronically but not in a seamless way. That is all about to change.

OMNI has recently embarked on an ambitious project that, when it is complete, will provide it with yet another 'first'. OMNI's E-Commerce initiative is set to revolutionise the way in which companies within the network communicate with each other. In future it will be possible for any of these 270 independent companies to transfer information electronically, straight from the office at origin direct into the 'back office' system of the destination agent. The clever part is the way in which this will be achieved even when the companies use a wide variety of management platforms.

The benefit for the customer will be a significantly enhanced service. No more will it be possible for someone to misspell a name, confuse a date, or transpose a telephone number. Now, details entered at origin will be transferred directly through the shipping chain right through to destination without any need to re-enter information. The result will be fewer delays and a much more efficient service.

OMNI is working on the system now and expects to have it in full operation by the end of 2003. Of course to some, multi-national companies, this is not new however, non have the global coverage of the OMNI network and non are able to offer customers a choice of company, both at origin and destination, within a single network.

END

Further editorial information from:

Mr Steve Jordan
PR Consultant
Tel: ++ 44 1525 402290 Fax: 44 (0)1525 840347
Email: steve.Jordan@omnimoving.com



All business enquiries to:
Mrs Gabi Mainzer-Dixon
Member Services Manager
OMNI Head office
Tel: 44 (0)1737 222022
Email: gabi.mainzer@omnimoving.com
OMNI is 100% FAIM 1/16/2002
OMNI Achieves 100% FAIM The guarantee of international moving excellence worldwide

OMNI, Overseas Moving Network International, announces that it has become the world’s only global moving organisation to provide a 100% certified service worldwide. This announcement is the result of a two-year programme of inspection and certification by Cap Gemini Ernst & Young throughout OMNI’s offices worldwide.

For 15 years OMNI has represented the cream of the moving industry. Many of the world’s best known and most trusted international moving companies form its membership. Two years ago OMNI decided that it was no longer content with being recognised within its industry as being the market leader, it wanted to become better known by corporations and the moving public. More importantly it wanted to have a way of proving its superiority in the moving industry not merely rely on subjective opinions.

In 1999, therefore, OMNI committed to ensuring that all its members would be assessed for and achieve the FAIM* quality standard, administered and monitored by consultants Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, by the end of 2001. The deadline now passed, OMNI is proud to say that all its members now operate to the FAIM standard making it the only global network with 100% verified quality.

The FAIM standard has been specifically designed for the international moving industry and is quickly becoming the global benchmark for excellence within the industry. FAIM covers every aspect of a moving company’s administration and operational procedure as well as ensuring the quality of its equipment and facilities.

In practical terms the achievement of FAIM throughout the organisation offers HR managers worldwide with a foolproof way of locating top quality international moving companies both in their own country and, more importantly, at destination. “Choosing a moving company in your own country is easy, mainly because you have some track record to help,” said Ian waters, General Manager of OMNI. “Finding reliable companies abroad can be much more difficult particularly in unfamiliar destinations. The FAIM standard now means that HR managers can be confident that OMNI standards will be equal to the highest anywhere in the world no matter where they are being performed.”

Announcing the good news to the OMNI membership at a meeting in Las Vegas, OMNI president Patrick Oman said that this was a milestone for the organisation. “For the first time HR managers have a totally independent and consistent quality reference worldwide. OMNI is proud to be the first organisation in the industry to have attained this unique market position.”

To check the OMNI members in your area, or anywhere in the world, take a look at the OMNI website on www.omnimoving.com or email: omnihq@omnimoving.com for more information.

END

* FAIM = FIDI Accredited International Mover. FIDI is the worldwide moving federation based in Brussels.



Further editorial information from:

Steve Jordan Steve Jordan Marketing Tel: ++44 1525 402290 Fax: ++44 1525 840347 Email: steve-jordan@ntlworld.com

All business enquiries to:

Ian Waters OMNI Priory House 45-51 High Street Reigate Surrey England, RH2 9AE Tel: ++44 (0) 1737 222022 Fax: ++44 (0) 1737 241767 Email: omnihq@omnimoving.com Website: www.omnimoving.com
OMNI – Leading the way with quality and technology 4/4/2001
A report from the OMNI conference in Cape Town, by Steve Jordan

At the beginning of March approximately 250 captains of the moving industry gathered together for the 14th Annual conference of OMNI, the Overseas Moving Network International. As the name suggests, OMNI is a network of the world’s top moving companies who co-operate to provide a global moving service to multi-national corporations. It is recognised as the leading moving group of its kind.

As always, the glittering conference marked the highlight of the year’s social and business scene. It offered an unrivalled networking opportunity and the chance to make some important decisions that will shape the development of the world’s most exclusive moving group for the year ahead. Nobody was disappointed.

The conference was held this year at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town; a venue recognised as being one of the finest hotels in the world and the favourite haunt of Sir Winston Churchill.

But although the 4-day event was set amid beautiful surroundings, the theme was strictly business. OMNI had two items on the agenda: 1) the reinforcement of its current marketing position and; 2) the use of Internet technology in the moving industry.

Quality guaranteed

From its formation in 1986, OMNI recognised that the most important factor in any corporate move is the quality of the service. No compromise can be accepted. However, quality is a rather subjective commodity and the moving industry has always lacked an objective way of judging the service provided.

In recent years, however, an industry standard has emerged. The FAIM (FIDI Accredited International Mover) standard has become the benchmark against which all moving companies are judged. It is an imposed standard that reflects a companies capabilities and performance in all aspects of its work. Most importantly it is audited independently by Ernst & Young to ensure its objectivity.

OMNI has already set itself ahead of all other moving groups by declaring its intention to ensure that all its member companies will have the FAIM accreditation by the end in 2001. It will be the only global moving organisation to achieve this; it is already over one-third of the way to its target.

When complete, this commitment will give HR managers the confidence of knowing that a move booked by any OMNI member will be performed in line with the FAIM standard door to door, wherever the destination. It is a particular benefit for companies moving personnel to the less popular destinations in which they have not had the opportunity to build a relationship with any moving organisation. It is also an advantage against the global one-company organisation, which is committed to consigning goods to its own office irrespective of the level of service offered at destination.

Moving with Technology

The second key item for discussion at the OMNI conference was the Internet and how it can be harnessed to provide added value to corporate customers.

To stimulate the discussion, Mark Shuttleworth, CEO of Thawte Consulting and, at 26, one of South Africa’s richest men, presented his thoughts on the way in which the Internet will affect all our lives, business and domestic. Mark has made his fortune over the last 4 years by providing e-commerce companies with Internet digital certification. If anyone has a valued opinion on the development of technology, he does.

Mark was quick to explain the limitations of the Internet. “It is not inherently secure,” he said, “nor does it provide guaranteed delivery.” However, disposing of these fundamental requirements has liberated the Internet to enable it to provide very reliable, very secure, unbelievably fast communications for most people most of the time. That is the basis if its success.

Mark explained that many companies had been put off the Internet revolution because of concerns about these fundamentals. “However,” he commented, “by the time they had realised that security was manageable and guaranteed delivery was relatively unimportant, they were already 3 years behind the rest.”

Mark’s task was to unearth some of the myths of e-commerce and make the audience understand the dangers of delay; this he did very effectively. The next speaker, Hans Broby Hansen, is in charge of global sales for Maersk Sealand. He translated the theory into practise by describing how his company was embracing e-commerce as a fundamental business requirement. It was the way in which his company was to keep pace with the competition and provide an enhanced service to its customers through better communication, better control and greater flexibility.

To complete the picture, Robby Wogan of MoveAssist in the UK showed how his company had already developed e-commerce products specifically for the moving industry. He explained that the technology was already there to provide enhanced services to corporate customers and to improve communication and co-operation between overseas agents, shipping lines, customs departments, etc. All that was needed was the will to make it happen.

The Way Forward

The moving industry is not lagging behind in the adoption of new technology. OMNI companies in particular are leading the field in the development of new added-value services. However, it is clear that there is a long way to go. Perhaps, with the pace of technological development ever increasing, there always will be.

But the OMNI conference in Cape Town did focus the thoughts of some of the world’s most respected entrepreneurs towards exploiting technology to provide an even better moving service. Over the next year the development of Internet systems will be paramount for all OMNI companies. Since its inception, OMNI has pushed the boundaries of service and technology, leading the way for others to follow. In the case of e-commerce, the scenario is unlikely to be very different.
The Hidden Threat 4/3/2001
I was very interested to read Simon Kent’s piece on inpatriation in your Feb/March issue. Fascinating isn’t it that companies assume that people moving to other countries need support yet those moving into their own can fend for themselves.

I represent the Overseas Moving Network International (OMNI), a network of 270 moving companies worldwide that collectively handle a significant proportion of the world’s corporate moves. We work constantly with people who are experiencing the trauma of relocation. Something often overlooked is the simple, yet totally disabling, homesickness.

Homesickness is a strange syndrome. It can affect anyone, either sex, any age. It seems not to be related to distance or, strangely, circumstances. It’s just a craving for the familiar. It feels like recovering from a broken love affair and the Flu at the same time.

I recall my early years at school. It was a poor community. Home for many was a hard place; for some it was positively cruel. Yet, when they started school, despite being warm, well fed, comfortable and cared for – they cried for their mothers!

For relocating employees, the feelings can be similar. Their new company looks after their every need: nice house, great car, good schools, and elaborate integration policies to get them to know their new country. All very valuable in their own way. Indeed OMNI members often provide settlement help for their customers too.

But the arrogance of believing that your own country must offer all that an inpatriate might need has to be misguided. Conversely, the level of affluence and comfort a company is able to bestow upon its expatriates is only part of the problem.

Homesickness is the hidden threat. It is not ‘macho’ to admit to being a sufferer, so executives often suffer in silence or make excuses for their malcontent. Even their spouses avoid discussing their own feelings for fear of being thought ‘silly’.

No matter how high-powered or self-reliant an executive might appear to be, homesickness can destroy an assignment and destroy lives. It is a hidden threat. Companies would be wise to address it specifically before it’s too late.

Steve Jordan PR Consultant OMNI World HQ, Reigate, Surrey, England.
Information for Editors 2/26/2001
OMNI (Overseas Moving Network International) has appointed regional Press Officers worldwide to act as primary contacts for editors and correspondents looking for up-to-date information and comment on the international moving and relocation industries.

All Press Officers have been specially selected for their industry knowledge and communication skills. All are the owners or senior managers of moving companies in their region and work day-to-day in that environment. They also travel widely so have an in-depth knowledge of the global relocation market and the relevance of their regional experience within that market.

Please contact them for information on moving abroad, relocation services, shipping, airfreight, customs requirements, etc.

END

Further editorial information from:

Steve Jordan Marketing Tel: ++ 44 1525 402290 Fax: ++ 44 1525 840347 Email: steve.Jordan@omnimoving.com
The Answer to an Insoluble Question 12/30/2000
How to solve the age-old problem of maintaining a top quality household moving service, door-to-door, anywhere in the world? That is the question that has perplexed HR managers for years. Now, OMNI has solved it.

Many companies have claimed to provide a top quality worldwide service, but for the first time in history, OMNI has found a way to prove it.

OMNI (Overseas Moving Network International) is a global organisation of 270 of the world’s finest international moving companies. But it’s much more than that. It is fast becoming the only moving network in the world to be able to provide a 100% verified international move to almost any part of the world. No other organisation can provide a similar guarantee or looks like being able to do so in the near future.

By 31December 2001, all OMNI companies worldwide will have earned the FAIM quality standard. FAIM is an internationally recognised service standard specifically designed for the moving industry and independently administered by consultants Ernst & Young. This means that all OMNI companies will be working on the same high service standard and that Ernst & Young will make sure it stays that way.

This removes a major hazard for HR managers that are transferring staff. The problem has always been simple to understand but difficult to resolve: however good the moving company at origin is, how can you be certain that the company at destination, equally important in the moving process, is as good? The answer is, that until now, you could not. Even where a company has its own offices at both ends, still there are no guarantees that the destination agent has the same experience and competency as the originating office.

OMNI has solved that problem. Already most OMNI companies have FAIM; in fact over 75% of the FAIM certificates issued worldwide have gone to OMNI companies. The remaining OMNI companies are working hard at achieving FAIM accreditation and will have done so within the next 12 months.

Even for experienced HR managers in large corporations, international relocation can be something of a mystery. Where as many multinational companies might have a very sophisticated expatriate programme, some do not. Companies that have no more than a handful of international postings every year, often to different countries, have difficulty in deciding which moving company is best able to help them.
OMNI Leads the world in FAIM 11/16/2000
Over 75% of the world’s top movers are OMNI members





OMNI (Overseas Moving Network International) is leading the world in the adoption of the FAIM (FIDI Accredited International Mover) quality standard. According to current statistics supplied by FIDI, the worldwide international removals federation based in Brussels, of the 107 companies that have so far been successful in achieving the FAIM standard, 82 (over 75%) are OMNI members.

FAIM is a worldwide quality standard for international removals. It includes the whole of a removals company’s operational procedures right from the initial contact with the customer right through to delivery and insurance claims handling. It was credited by FIDI and is independently administered by consultants Ernst & Young. Only the most experienced and competent moving companies worldwide are able to reach its exacting standard.

So far 88 companies have received the ordinary FAIM accreditation, 60 of which are OMNI members. A further 25 companies have been awarded the even more exacting FAIMISO standard, all but 3 are OMNI companies.

Ian Waters, General Manager of OMNI is delighted with the progress towards 100% FAIM accreditation for OMNI members. “This really shows the dedication of the companies in the OMNI network,” he commented. “It is really amazing that of all the moving companies in the world it is primarily the OMNI companies that have taken their businesses sufficiently seriously to work consistently towards the highest quality levels.”

OMNI is working towards 100% FAIM accreditation by 31 December 2001. By that time OMNI will be the only moving network in the world to provide a totally verified service between all its members. END

Further editorial information from:

Steve Jordan Steve Jordan Marketing Tel: ++44 1525 402290 Fax: ++44 1525 840347 Email: stevej@kbnet.co.uk

All business enquiries to:

Ian Waters OMNI Priory House 45-51 High Street Reigate Surrey England, RH2 9AE Tel: ++44 (0) 1737 222022 Fax: ++44 (0) 1737 241767 Email: omnihq@omnimoving.com Website: www.omnimoving.com
Oh! How You’ve Changed Since we last met 6/30/2000
The moving business has worked very hard over the years to shake off its ‘flat cap and tea chest’ image from the 1950s. At last, perhaps, it’s succeeded.

To be fair, the international business always had a little more glamour. When moving men wore leather aprons and smoked Woodbines, International removals had a much more romantic feel; images of far flung secondments in sun-soaked climates more to blame than the moving industry itself, perhaps.

But the international moving industry has come of age in the 21st Century. No longer is it hostage to its prosaic past. The movers of today are movers and shakers when it comes to the adoption of new technologies and the introduction of added value services.

Of course it is the Internet that has been the major force in creating change. Now moving companies can book moves on-line, take payments on-line, transfer shipping documents electronically and track shipments, door-to-door, every wave of the way. Even vehicles can be tracked by satellite, so if it’s late you know exactly where it is and how late it will be.

Ian Waters, the General Manager of OMNI, a network of over 270 international moving companies worldwide, acknowledges that the moving industry is a prime target for the development of e-commerce. “On average, every shipment involves 27 parties, 40 documents and over 300 copies,” he said. “The ability to transfer those documents electronically will provide tremendous opportunities to save costs and improve services.”

And there is a wealth of information available on the Internet about moving that can help people through the process. OMNI’s own site, for example, omnimoving.com, has settlement information (such as climate, culture, geography, politics, etc.) on every country available at the click of a mouse. “We also have our own private site for members to transfer information, check rates, confirm shipping agreements, etc.,” continued Ian Waters.

But not all the developments are Internet based. For some years now moving companies have had bar code readers for data capture. No longer does a salesman need to stumble around your house making a list of your belongings. Now, just the sweep of a wand and the list produces itself, in any language you like, and prints it out for you to cherish. No more arguments about what was and was not included. And no more peering at dodgy handwriting to try to make out what ‘Spriog’ means. The reader can, of course, download its data into a computer to be spirited around the globe, to all concerned, in milliseconds.

There has also been a tremendous amount of work on the ‘soft’ issues of international relocation – particularly children. Five years ago, Transeuro, one of the UK’s leading international moving companies pioneered the first specifically child-oriented products after their extensive research showed that youngsters were particularly vulnerable at that time. Corporate accounts welcomed the developments as they were quick to recognise that an executive who is worried about his family is not being effective at work. Today many companies are developing their own products for children including games, CD’s, books, ‘hands off this box is mine’ cartons, etc.

Attitudes in the business have also changed. In 2000 you are much more likely to hear a company representative say “What can we do to make the move easier for you”, rather than present you with a fait accompli as would have been the norm in 1990.

Attitudes to quality have changed too. Companies recognise now that simply to say that they provide a ‘quality’ service is not enough. The word ‘quality’ must be qualified. Is it top quality or average? If it’s top quality, how good is it? Who says so? The industry has recently introduced its own quality standard, FAIM. This is a very high standard of service and performance assessed and monitored independently by consultants Ernst & Young. Gwenda van Rompaey, from Ernst and Young, explained that moving companies have to achieve a very high level of service and expertise to obtain the FAIM standard. “It can take 9 months for a company to fulfil all the requirements,” she explained. “There is also an even higher level of accreditation, FAIMISO, for companies that are already ISO certified.”

OMNI has introduced FAIM into its own membership criteria. It is now committed to 100% FAIM membership throughout all its 270 companies by the end of 2001. Already over one-third of its members are FAIM accredited, with a further third on target for later this year. The remainder will complete the task during 2001. “We will soon be the world’s only moving network with 100% guaranteed FAIM accreditation,” explained Ian Waters.

There can be little doubt that the international moving business had changed dramatically over the last 4-5 years and out of all proportion in the last 20. Some would say that it had plenty of room to catch up. But what can be virtually certain is that an industry that was left behind once is most unlikely to let it happen again. For the moving business, the future is hi-tech, and destined to stay that way. END

Further editorial information from:

Steve Jordan Steve Jordan Copywriting Tel: ++ 44 1525 402290 Fax: ++ 44 1525 840347 Email: stevej@kbnet.co.uk

All business enquiries to:

Ian Waters OMNI Tel: ++ 44 207 603 5624 Fax: ++ 44 207 602 7366 Email: omnihq@omnimoving.com

If you require any assistance please contact +44 (0) 1306 889218