A very important component of moving key people around the world involves moving their belongings – what I like to refer to as precious cargo. This includes those possessions that we categorize as the household goods shipment which helps transform a residence into a home.
I had the opportunity to catch up with two members of the Cartus Supply Chain Management group who work with moving services vendors on a daily basis. This resulted in two Cartus podcast discussions on Trends in the Domestic and International Household Goods Industry. The first podcast features the commentary of Jim Edwards, vice president, while the second has analysis from Ken Roper, director.
Jim’s podcast covers unique challenges in both the domestic and international household goods industry brought about by an improved economy, increased volume of assignees, high oil prices, equipment and labor shortages, and issues in popular emerging markets.
Some of the highlights include:
1) Impact of fuel costs on domestic drivers and owner-operators, as well as the impact of high oil prices on international steamship lines.
2) The impact of increased Federal regulations and labor shortages on the timing and costs of a pre-recession summer volume in the U.S.
3) Challenges in the international household goods industry, specifically in emerging markets, where increased relocation activity is being delayed by customs-related processes and procedures and an overwhelmed infrastructure.
4) Key recommendations from Cartus on how to keep companies and their assignees informed and prepared for relocation challenges.
Ken’s podcast covers the changes in the U.S. domestic household goods shipping industry and the solution of containerization.
Some of the highlights include:
1) Why drivers are leaving the household goods shipping segment to work in the freight industry.
2) Why the paradigm shift from standard pack and load shipping to freight shipping is occurring.
3) What containerization is, how the process works, and what are the future trends.
Email this contributor at lauren.wagner-bartz@cartus.com
