www.iamovers.org VOLUME XLX The Journal of the International Association of Movers May / June 2018 Regional Focus: The Middle East AD_The Portal_GM-DTmoving-Packimpex_216x280.indd 1 27/06/2017 15:56 AD_The Portal_GM-DTmoving-Packimpex_216x280.indd 1 27/06/2017 15:56 ROBUST MOVE MOBILE CONNECTED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM APPLICATIONS VIA GOGISTIX® Our robust move management Shippers, Surveyors, Estimators, From EDC-MoveStar® system is customizable, Inventory Specialists, you can exchange data and user-friendly, and Operations Managers, documents in real time with your fully supported. Move Coordinators and move partners and customers. Warehouse Managers. ONE SYSTEM FOR ALL YOUR MOVE MANAGEMENT NEEDS 2017–2018 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CONTENTS PRESIDENT Terry R. Head THE PORTAL • MAY/JUNE 2018 • Volume XLX CHAIR Tim Helenthal 6 HEADLINES / Terry R. Head National Van Lines, Inc. What Spring Has Sprung VICE CHAIR Michael Richardson FEATURES Senate Forwarding Inc. GOVERNING MEMBERS AT LARGE 9 PORTAL FOCUS: THE MIDDLE EAST Georgia Angell War and Peace: A Region of Peril and Promise / Joyce Dexter World International Forwarding John Burrows Contributors: Bliss Corporation (10) • La Levantine (11) • GIFCO (12) • Transclal (14) • DeWitt Moving & Storage Infinity Pack & Ship (16) • Jordanian Coast Cargo (17) • Darwish Logistics (18) • Stephan Geurts Jr. DHL Global Forwarding (19) • Paxton International (21) • Move One Logistics (21) • GovLog, N.V. Innovation Mobility (22) • AGS (25) • Interem (26) • Intemove Egypt (29) • Adam Hall ISS Worldwide Movers (30, 33, 38) • Attica Movers S.A. (32) Coleman Worldwide Moving CORE MEMBERS REPRESENTATIVE 35 IAM Young Professionals (IAM-YP) Boris Populoh Willis Relocation Risk Group 39 Military/Government Update DP3 on the Cusp of a New Chapter / Charles L. White CORE MEMBERS REPRESENTATIVE AT LARGE Tony Waugh 43 IAM Looking Back AGS France 1978: Competitive Rate Program Changes in the International Moving Industry / Rick Curry CORE OVERSEAS MEMBERS REPRESENTATIVE Ben Scheiner 47 Executive Suite Global Relocations Ltd. 47 Understanding Data Analytics in the Moving Industry / Ray da Silva 50 Global Movers and GDPR: What You Need to Know / Sebastien Deschamps IAM-YP REPRESENTATIVE 51 Unpaid Invoice Compensation Payments for RPP in 2017 / Brian Limperopulos Catherina Stier 52 The Rise of Aggregators: How Movers Can Fight Back / Matthew Woodley Harsch, The Art of Moving Forward 53 From Brussels to Bangui and Back Again / Anne Van Giles 54 Short-Paying Invoices: Is it Ethical? / Rick Curry and Brian Limperopulos CORE MEMBERS MANAGEMENT BOARD 55 Small Business AFRICA Laura Wegener How Small Businesses Can Compete with Large Companies / Roumen Todorov Stuttaford Van Lines Patrick Le Merrer 59 TechNotes Deminter International 61 The Struggles of Finding Labor / Jason Hopkins CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA & CARIBBEAN Alvaro Stein 75 Washington Update / Jim Wise and Bryan Vickers, PACE, LLC Decapack Manuela Carolina Caribbean Moving Services N.V. EASTERN & SOUTHEASTERN ASIA Aakanksha Bhargava PM Relocations Green Inks Patrick White Santa Fe Group DEPARTMENTS EUROPE 63 Industry News 78 Advertisers Index Aivars Usans 77 Portal Advertising 78 Industry Calendar FF International Movers, Ltd. Barbara Savelli Gosselin Mobility Italy MIDDLE EAST & NEAR ASIA The Portal is published bimonthly by the THE PORTAL Ajay Bhalla International Association of Movers (IAM), Leader Relocations 5904 Richmond Hwy., Suite 404, President & Publisher: Terry R. Head Eran Drenger Alexandria, VA 22303. Phone: (703) 317-9950. Senior Vice President: Charles L. White Ocean Company Limited Vice President: Brian Limperopulos Fax: (703) 317-9960. Email: [email protected]. Director of Finance: Steve Cox NORTH AMERICA Website: www.IAMovers.org. Heather Engel Director, Membership & Data Management: True North Relocation, LLC Julia O’Connor Manager, Operations: Jamila Kenney Arthur Drewry For subscriptions and changes of address, Manager, Marketing & Communications: Taylor International email [email protected]. Send edito- William Kohudic rial material to [email protected] OCEANIA Manager, Website Content: Carl Weaver Rebecca Parker and [email protected]. For advertising Coordinator, Programs: Margaret Kerr M. Dyer & Sons Inc. queries, email [email protected]. Coordinator, Membership Services: George Cooper Send advertising materials to Nicola Collett Layout/Design/Editor: Joyce Dexter MetroMovers [email protected]. Project Manager: Janet Cave Seely HEADLINES What Spring Has Sprung t this writing, we’re in the midst of the spring conference season for our industry. AAttendance at those gatherings is always a great way to shake off the doldrums of the off-season, and these industry events are often seen as a bellwether for what we can expect and hope for in the busy moving season ahead. IAM has deployed staff to attend and present at numerous conferences, including the 100th Anniversary of the California Moving and Storage Association (CMSA), which is the largest regional and state moving association event here in the United States. And we have staffers attending, and underscoring IAM’s support and sponsorship of, the Young Movers Conference (YMC), which this year was held in Brussels, Belgium. (By the way, hats off to the Gosselin Group for taking on the primary responsibility for planning and orchestrat- ing the 2018 YMC gathering, which grows each year in popularity.) For me personally, this spring has been a whirlwind of activity. I recently attended the LACMA Conference in Puerto Rico (see more about that on page 69) and the FIDI meet- ing in San Diego, as well as the AMSA Education Conference & Expo in Ft. Lauderdale. I was also present at the Spring Personal Property Forum (PPF) meeting conducted by the U.S Transportation Command (USTC) near Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. More recently, I’ve just returned from the conference of the European Relocation As- sociation (EuRA) in Dubrovnik, Croatia. But don’t be misled by the “European” reference in EuRA’s name, as that group is quickly becoming an entity with global reach and partici- TERRY R. HEAD pation. There were nearly 700 attendees at EuRA representing movers, relocation manage- IAM President ment companies and destination service providers (DSPs) from almost every continent. Since EuRA was celebrating its 20th anniversary, I was delighted to be invited to serve on a panel of association executives representing a wide spectrum of moving, relocation and DSPs. My fellow panelists included representatives from the (Worldwide) Employee Relocation Council (ERC), the Canadian Relocation Council (WERC), FIDI and, of course, EuRA. All of these conferences afford excellent opportunities for IAM to share and spread its mission, values and brand awareness, particularly outside the traditional international mov- ing sphere. As for me, I enjoy the privilege and opportunity to actually sit down and have mean- ingful conversations with many IAM members and other stakeholders within the industry who play a role in the growth and success of the IAM membership. I rarely get that chance to talk in depth with my own members during the IAM Annual Meeting & Expo, which we all know is an intense four-day event that is over in the blink of an eye. I came home with numerous observations and takeaways from sitting in on the various business sessions and face-to-face conversations, as well as the feedback I receive from IAM staff who represent the Association at all these gatherings each spring. It would be very difficult to lay those out in detail in this short article, but I will tell you that increasing awareness and importance is being placed on standards, compliance and professionalism in our industry, as well as related businesses, customers and accounts relying on us to provide quality services. There is something for everyone in this issue of The Portal. However, I invite you to become acquainted with the IAM members in the 16 countries comprising the Middle East—a part of the world rich in history and culture, which is often misunderstood because of accounts of the ongoing political strife and conflict that seem to make their way into our daily news. Carrying out their day-to-day operations, often under challenging and even dangerous conditions, IAM members in the region are leading the way and epitomize professionalism in our industry. I think that after reading these articles and profiles, you will likely come away enlightened, with a new understanding and appreciation for the Middle East and the IAM member companies that are building durable foundations for the future and position- ing themselves for more peaceful and prosperous times ahead. 6 May/June 2018 • THE PORTAL IAM: Moving Forward Together By land, air or sea, the DeWitt Companies MAKE IT EASY EASY AFFORDABLE SAFE Our experienced staff and Our rates are competitive, Your shipments are kept personalized service makes moving and our outstanding service safe and secure no matter shipments simple and easy. is unmatched. how far they’re going. 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Navigating shifting re- often leads to devastating civil wars. Peace is an enticing but alities is all in a day’s work for movers.