Jon Thunqvist | 2007-10-17
Having seen how slow things can get in the moving business, Nick Masee, general manager of Asian Tigers Premier Worldwide Movers Co., Ltd., is quite happy about the fact that people and companies have started traveling-and moving-again. "This year will be our best so far," Mr. Masee says. "We really struggled after 9/11 when everything just came to a standstill. Nobody wanted to get on an airplane, and companies did not want to dispatch their staff under those circumstances."
For nine whole months until well into 2002, business was very harsh, if not frozen solid. The company was forced to lay off some staff, and it has taken until this year for it to regain its pre-9/11 employment of 20 people.
Mr. Masee first came to Japan in 1998, after having learned the tricks of the trade with relocation companies based in Singapore and Canada. Asian Tigers Premier Worldwide Movers Co., Ltd, which is owned by several international investors, had just started its business, and the management wanted Mr. Masee to run the Tokyo office.
The first few years were spent on building relations and trying to break into a market that was, and still is, dominated by a few large players such as Nippon Express, Santa Fe and Crown. "This is a niche business and I believe our survival depends on our ambition to provide a more personal service than our competitors," says Mr. Masee.
The relocation business tends to move in three-year cycles, according to Mr. Masee. That is the average length of assignment for a business person, or someone in the diplomatic corps. After having done a lot of telemarketing, advertising and door-to-door sales, Asian Tigers Premier Worldwide Movers can now more and more rely on referrals and word-of-mouth. "We get a lot of work from repeat customers, and that is worth a lot in the business." Mr. Masee says.
Since the company is a member of the worldwide OMNI network, it can always find the best partner on the other side. Moving people or offices is not only about making sure that everything gets packed and sent off; there has to be someone equally quality-minded who does the unpacking.
"Some of the big companies may have a large network with offices around the world, but our advantage is that we pick the best local operator," Mr. Masee says. "I believe that ensures the customer best possible service."
When he is not out and about, this native of Canada enjoys playing golf, and is currently a 24 handicap.
And the "tiger" in the company name and logo is more than just a nice image: Asian Tigers Premier Worldwide Movers is working to protect the real, living and endangered Asian tiger. "We believe in giving back to the community," Mr. Masee says. "Since we are an Asia-based network, helping protect Asian tigers feels like a cause where we can make a difference." In fact, Asian Tigers Premier Worldwide Movers have contributed more than US$250,000 to tiger preservation, mostly in China where the situation is most severe.
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