One of the opportunities that working for a multi-national company gives you is to travel overseas. Not only do you meet new people and experience different cultures, but often it is an insight into how companies operate in other countries. Few people however are asked to pack up their lives and move overseas for a period of time to work. In our case we had 2 moves, both to Asia. The first when we had two small children was to Bangkok and the second some years later was to Kuala Lumpur. We were quite naive the first time, but much smarter the next.
On both occasions we engaged Sydney removalists. The first time however we were naive about the best process to follow. My company had never moved families before and left all the logistics up to me. I was tasked with doing my own research, obtaining quotes and providing them to our human resources department. In reflection the decision was priced based because we did not have all the necessary information.
The company we engaged, although they said they had experience in moving people overseas were not represented by an office in Thailand. Our shipment was handed to a third party company for customs clearance and delivery. The company that we contracted originally were not able to help us with the logistics in Bangkok. Our difficulty was that we had no relationship with the third party and issues in clearing our shipment from customs took longer than we were led to believe. As a result, our stay in a hotel was longer than expected and the expense was considerably more. Additionally the cramped living situation for a family of four became stressful.
There was one area of advice that was of great benefit. Having quite a lot of furniture we were advised that we should not transport some of our more expensive items. Considering that the furniture would be on a ship for 6 weeks and then sitting on a dock in weather conditions that would be moist and humid, the potential for damage was high.
In accepting that recommendation, we then had to look for storage facilities in Sydney that would cater for our needs. This meant finding premises that were very secure and maintained a stable environment free of bugs, insects and moisture. It turned out that it was a great decision as we learnt from others that they did have environmental damage to their furniture during shipment and also while living in Bangkok.
Our second move back to Asia was a little easier as we had the experience from years earlier. We engaged removalists with an office in Sydney and in Kuala Lumpur that looked after us throughout the entire process. Additionally they were able to provide storage facilities. This meant that we could negotiate a very good deal that included the packing, shipment, unpacking and storage as well as insurances for everything. For us it meant that dealing with a single company gave us a sense of security that everything was being well looked after.
Geoff Cooper has undertaken a number of corporate assignments in Asia. He has found that moving overseas has had its surprises on each occasion. The stress of the move is made much easier by selecting international removalists that specialise in corporate relocations for moving families overseas.
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