Ian Waters, General Manager of OMNI
In this Q&A article, Ian Waters talks about the OMNI organization, its members and aims, about the industry as a whole and shares some valuable advice when it comes to undertaking an overseas move.
Ian Waters is the General Manager of OMNI and has been with the company virtually since its inception in 1986. His role is to guide the organisation and carry out the wishes of the Board of Directors as they represent the needs and aspirations of OMNI’s 270 members worldwide.
During his time with OMNI Ian has gained an extensive knowledge of the moving industry and has a clear understanding of what it must do to satisfy its clients both today and in the future. From his position at the head a global, not-for-profit organisation, his advice is free from politics, nationalism or commercial advantage.
Tell us a bit about OMNI’s history?
How has your organization evolved during the years? What are some of the greatest difficulties that OMNI had to cope with?
OMNI is a global consortium of the most professional independent companies in the international moving and relocation business. OMNI’s purpose is to maintain and support an international network within which its members can co-operate and provide world-class moving services.
We currently have 130 companies in membership with about 200 individual offices in key locations around the world covering more than 60 countries.
OMNI’s Mission Statement:
- To develop and sustain a network of first-class moving companies dedicated to the highest international standards.
- To increase the overall market share of the network.
- To provide a network business climate within which members are required to reciprocate with each other, to do business in an environmentally sensitive manner and to maintain the highest ethical standards.
- To develop and provide value-added products and services for the network.
OMNI was founded in the late 1980s from the merger of two European organisations; Eurovan and CETI. As a response to the demand for global coverage, Eurovan and CETI soon developed an international membership. However, this required non-European companies to be members of both organisations: an expensive and unnecessarily bureaucratic burden. So, OMNI was formed in 1988.
OMNI was set up as a global network of top quality companies that specialised in international corporate removals. Many OMNI members were already market leaders in their own countries; all were dedicated to providing the highest quality, worldwide service. The agent-to-agent principle of trading underpinned the OMNI philosophy. This requires OMNI members to trade with each other as much as possible to ensure continuity of service. OMNI is a company limited by Guarantee. All OMNI Members are also co-owners of the organisation and have equal say when it comes making key strategic decisions.
Over the years the industry has evolved considerably, particularly with the introduction of relocation services companies and move management companies. Our members have adapted to the rising relocation service needs of clients by either developing their own relocation divisions or working closely with the large relocation service providers to enable them to continue to provide a full door to door service offering. So, in addition to managing the logistics of the physical move of a client’s personal possessions, members now need to provide addition services such as:
- Orientation trips
- Home search
- School search
- Visa and immigration assistance
- Taxation and Expense management
- Guaranteed price schemes
- Policy advice
- Cultural training, Language training
- Spouse employment support
What are your exact requirements that members have to follow?
OMNI’s Logo
OMNI requires all its members to meet the industry’s highest quality standards in terms of facilities, training, administration and operational competence. All OMNI companies must provide adequate financial assurances to their network partners either though compliance with the FAIM Quality standard or through alternative criteria based on Dun and Bradstreet risk assessments.
What are the greatest challenges that your members are currently facing?
Our members face the same challenges that are faced by entire industry at the moment which is price erosion.
Many large companies outsource the management of their employee relocation programme to third parties and procurement companies that are purely price driven. These companies tend to over- look the importance of being able to provide a bespoke service to meet the needs of employees that are being relocated.
A lot of the international assignments that are cut short by the employee requesting early repatriation are due to the initial relocation not going smoothly and not enough attention paid to the importance of making sure the entire family is properly settled and integrated into their new home and country.
It can be a little short sighted to try and save money on the initial relocation costs rather than buying the right service for their employee if that person subsequently has to be repatriated early due to not having the proper support during the initial settling in period.
There has also been a rapid increase in regulation and compliance requirements in the corporate and government sectors placing a greater administrative burden on moving and relocation companies.
What is on OMNI’s agenda now? Your plans and aims?
Regulatory Risk and compliance are a key issue for us at the moment. Many corporate clients require evidence of regulatory compliance from their suppliers to provide confidence in the integrity of their whole supply chain. OMNI recently launched a compliance risk assessment service for its members. The service provides members a comprehensive solution for risk management and corporate governance in the areas of Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Corruption, Payments compliance and Commercial Risk. This enables the members to provide the appropriate reassurances to their corporate clients verifying that neither they nor any of their business partners down the supply chain have been involved in illegal activities.
All OMNI Members are also constantly monitored through this service to ensure compliance at all times.
How do you see the industry changing in the next few years?
There will be a fundamental transfer of skills from the first world to the developing world in pursuit of energy, water, resources, commodities, space, security and lifestyle.
With time, there will be a fundamental transfer of skills from the first world to the developing world in pursuit of energy, water, resources, commodities, space, security and lifestyle and this will have a dramatic effect on the moving industry.
The businesses that are most successful over the next 20 years will be those businesses that provide these goods and services and those that are linked with them. Business people are starting to move to those countries now and will continue to do so. Relocating people from Europe, Japan and America to these areas will be the basis of the relocation business over the next 20 years or so.
Countries like China, Nigeria and India for example are the places that moving companies need to be connecting with now. Moving companies need to identify which countries have the attributes in demand such as resources and space, and which have the most acute impending skilled labour shortage and find ways to provide relocation services in those regions.
What is your best advice for our visitors who are about to move internationally?
Proper due diligence is key. Starting a new life overseas can be a very emotional and stressful experience. A smooth and professional relocation can be the differentiator between success and failure to settle.
Make sure the company selected to handle your move has the right level of experience and expertise and has a strong working relationship with the company they arrange to provide services for you at destination.
Of course I would recommend using an OMNI Member because they are market leaders in their own countries; all dedicated to providing the highest quality, worldwide service and trade with each other as much as possible to ensure continuity of service.
We would like to thank general manager Ian Waters for his time and effort.